I Remember Her!
by ChansonJjj
Summary: Toby Cavanaugh returns to Rosewood to see his old close friend Spencer Hastings has changed into... a much hotter girl than the last time he saw her. What if he can't help but develop feelings for her? Will Spencer forget that her now ex-boyfriend, Wren, betrayed her, and learn to love and trust again? (AU-ish. Not much A-Team stuff, but there's a little, involving Wren)
1. Into the Fire, We Go!

**Chapter 1**

_3 Hours Earlier..._

_Rosewood, Pennsylvania_

_Spencer Hastings held the key with the letter** -A** printed in red on it. She wonder__ed if it really could be her own boyfriend as the one behind the black hoodie. She didn't want to have to find out on their anniversary, but she knew it had to be done, and this might be her only chance to unmask him if he is. She hated doubting that his sweet & comforting British accent might all be fake, but she still had hope. _

_Earlier while Spencer was preparing an anniversary dinner to surprise her British boyfriend, she had discovered a Radley pass. Now this might not seem alarming, since he began volunteering at Radley Sanitarium, but he had a visitor's pass for Mona- and he was not working with Mona as his patient at the time. _

_Hanna had also mentioned to her that the A-Team member that had knocked her down at the abandoned fashion studio had the same shoes that Wren did. This didn't alarm Spencer at first, until she discovered the visitor's pass that Wren had been hiding in his drawer._

_She heard the bush. Someone was outside her house right now. She held the key tightly in her hand. Who was this intruder? Were they -A? She was anxious. She wasn't expecting for this moment to come. She was expecting it to happen it a few hours, when -A realized the key was gone._

_Just then, Wren's cute face popped out with a goofy little smile. Spencer took a deep breath. He wasn't dressed in his A-Team attire...He seemed to be innocent at the moment. _

_She set the key down on the kitchen counter and went over to the door and unlocked it for him. He stepped inside with that award-winning smile still on his face._

_"You scared me," Spencer told him. "Why aren't you at work at the hospital?"  
_

_"I'm sorry, love. I'm on break. Since I'm not going to see you tonight, I wanted to surprise you. Happy anniversary, sweetheart," Wren said, pulling a gorgeous bouquet of flowers out from behind his back. Spencer was now more sure that he was innocent. What A-Team member could be so sweet?_

_"They're beautiful!" Spencer exclaimed as her hand flew over her mouth in shock. She stepped towards him and kissed him on the lips. She then pulled him into a sweet hug. "Let me go put these in water," she said, taking the bouquet of flowers from him, and pulling back._

_Wren followed her into the kitchen. She got a maroon colored vase out from the cabinet, and she inserted the bouquet of flowers into it. She hoped that Wren noticed the -A key. To her luck, he did._

_"-A?" Wren questioned, picking the key up. "I thought that -A was gone." _

_Spencer shook her head, "Oh...It's not what you think. Melissa has a storage unit in Philly. It's her key, not mine." She took the key from his hands._

_Spencer made sure he was watching, and then opened the kitchen drawer and lightly threw the -A key into it. Wren simply nodded._

_"Well, now that I've given you the flowers, I should probably get back to work," he told her. "Hey, but it's alright. My boss told me that he might let me off early and let another doctor take my shift because of my excellent work for the past few months. I might get to see you before the dinner."_

_"Oh, that's great, but I have to leave for the dinner very soon. But if he lets you off early, will you call me?" Spencer asked._

_"Of course, love," Wren nodded. "We'll celebrate our anniversary tomorrow, for sure. I love you."_

_"You too," Spencer said. She was hoping all these words really meant something, and it wasn't just a game that -A had put him up to. She hoped that Wren didn't even know Alison. She wanted him to have nothing to do with Alison going missing, or anything with -A in it._

_With that, Wren took off._

_Present Time_

_Rosewood, Pennsylvania_

Spencer collapsed onto her bed, her tears getting absorbed by her pearly-white pillow. Everything she had with Wren...was gone. He was nothing but a cheap bastard who had pretended to love her. He probably had some kind of affair with Alison, and then killed her.

Right now, she didn't even care how Wren did all of this. She just cared if he was a part of it or not. She wished he truly did love her. Spencer thought he loved her. She was right now, extremely glad, she never slept with him, or she would have had to live with the pain of knowing she slept with the enemy.

Tonight, she wasn't going to sleep well, and she knew that. The image of him entering the kitchen & fumbling through the drawers for the key. Then, he approached her. His warm & welcoming chocolate eyes were gone. There was fear and worry in his eyes. He was scared that he had gotten caught.

He said her name with his thick British accent. His voice was emotionless. She couldn't tell if there was regret in it. As soon as Spencer's mother had come home, he fled out the door.

Spencer didn't want her mother to see her in this state, so she quickly went up the stairs and locked herself in her bedroom.

"Spencer. Honey. Are you home?" Mrs. Hastings had asked her daughter. "Are you in here? Why aren't you at your anniversary dinner with Wren?" Mrs. Hastings knocked on the bedroom door.

"Yes, Mom. I'm fine, and I'm in here," Spencer responded, sniffling a little. "Um. Wren had some work to do at the hospital overnight, so the big dinner was kind of...cancelled, I guess. We'll just have to celebrate tomorrow."

"Oh. I'm so sorry, honey. If you need anything, I'll be downstairs filling out some paperwork for the law firm," Mrs. Hastings said, and she headed back downstairs.

Spencer was glad that her mother was finally gone. She didn't want to talk about this. She didn't want to tell her friends that they had broken up, either. She didn't want to reveal to the world that her boyfriend betrayed her, and was secretly torturing her, and she finally discovered it after a year, on their anniversary.

_Present Time  
_

_San Fransisco, California_

_San Fransisco Airport_

Toby Cavanaugh tapped his foot in boredom. Twenty minutes... Twenty god damn minutes until they started letting people board the flight! His best friend and co-worker Caleb, who came with him from Rosewood, Pennsylvania, was talking to his girlfriend Hanna on the phone. He and Hanna had a long-distance relationship.

"Dude...are you done there?" Toby gave his friend a playful and light shove. "I'm bored as fuck."

"Shhh, shut up! Just give me one more second, Cavanaugh." Caleb rolled his eyes, pushing his best friend back. Caleb turned his attention back to the phone. "Sorry, babe. I was talking to my_ annoying_ friend. So- what happened? Uh-huh. Baby, don't worry. I'll be back in Rosewood to comfort you. I'm coming in a matter of hours, hon!"

Toby rolled his eyes. He decided to go through the photos on his phone, and just take a trip down memory lane. He had some good times in California. He had dropped out of school when he was fifteen, and moved to California for a carpentry job. Caleb also moved for the job.

He began looking through all the photos. There were so many pictures of Caleb making funny faces at different places in California, like The Golden Gate Bridge, and Half Moon Bay.

Then he went to the first picture he ever took in his camera roll. It was a picture of one of his closest friends back in Rosewood, at the time...Spencer Hastings. In the picture, her long brown hair was tied back into a ponytail, and she was wearing big and geeky black glasses. She was trying to push the camera away while she was doing her homework.

Toby remembered her a little. They were such close friends. She was a super big dork, but she was cute and funny.

Caleb had finally put his phone down, and turned to Toby.

"Alright. What's up, Cavanaugh?" Caleb asked.

"Caleb...Do you remember this girl? Spencer Hastings was her name." Spencer smiled.

"How could I forget her?" Caleb laughed. "She's one of Hanna's good friends. Wasn't she the smart chick with the big-ass glasses? Yeah, that's her. She's the one that freaked out when she got a B+ on a test, while I was high-fiving everyone when I got that same grade."

Toby chuckled, "Hey, she's not a nerd. Well, she is...but she was a great person. I guess we'll find out if she's still that nerd-girl from three years ago."

"Oh come on, Toby. You really think she's still the same after three years? She's got to have changed in at least one way," Caleb said.

"I don't know. But I remember crying when I had to leave her. My eyes were all red and puffy, but I knew I had to go for this job," Toby sighed. "I wonder if she still remembers who I am."

"Dude, you'll probably get to see her again. She's still friends with Hanna. I hear her mention 'Spencer' every now and then," Caleb smiled.

Just then, the intercom said, '_Flight 415 to Rosewood, Pennsylvania. Economy class._'

"That's us," Toby smiled.

"Rosewood, here I come!" Caleb exclaimed. "I'll finally get to see my Hanny-Kinz after all this time. I missed her beautiful blonde locks... It's been a while."

"First of all, don't call her 'Hanny-Kinz', and second of all, didn't you visit her in December over winter break?" Toby asked. "I haven't seen Spencer in three years. I think _I'm _the one who should be more excited for the Rosewood return."

"Hey man, you know how hard it is to not be able to flirt with any girls in Cali?" Caleb said, causing Toby to roll his eyes. "Spencer's not your girlfriend, but Hanna's mine! I've had to go through a lot of long... kiss-less months."

Toby rolled his eyes again, "Whatever, dude..."

Toby was expecting to just reunite with his old close friend in Rosewood. Little did he know, his world would turn upside down when he got to the chance to see her again in Rosewood...


	2. We Begin Again

**Chapter 2: We Begin Again**

* * *

_Present Time_

_Rosewood, Pennsylvania_

_Rosewood Airport_

"Get your friggin' suit case and hurry the frig up!" Caleb commanded harshly. "Cavanaugh, I have a hot girlfriend waiting for my arrival, and this unplanned stalling wasn't scheduled on my schedule, so hurry up. She's expecting me!"

"You only have one thing on your schedule, and that's to see Hanna," Toby rolled his eyes. "And I'm sorry... urgh..." He groaned as he dragged the suit case down the stairs. "The wheels are jacked up on this thing... arrgghh...!"

Caleb rolled his eyes, "Are they really jacked up, or do you just not have enough muscle to pull that thing down?"

"I think after working out in the sun of California for three years, I at least would have enough muscle to pull a suit case down the stairs of an airport," Toby rolled his eyes. "Why don't you give it a try then, macho man?"

"Um, I think I will!" Caleb said, feeling confident and cocky about his muscular status.

The shaggy-haired 18 year old cockily made his way over to Toby, and pushed him slightly aside.

"God damn it, this thing _is _jacked up!" Caleb whined as he tried to pull it. "Dude, the wheel is stuck on this this sharp thingy. Let's just pick the damn thing up and carry it instead. Pssh, who needs to roll it down?"

Toby did as told and carried the suit case down the stairs. All through the flight, he was thinking about that one brunette. He wondered if she ever thought about him. In all honesty, after the first year in California, he didn't really think much about her. Now that he was back in Rosewood, he was thinking about her more than ever. How much had she changed? Did she even remember him? There were burning questions on his mind that he needed answers to, and he was seriously looking forward to finding out the answers.

Caleb's phone began ringing, which disturbed Toby's train of thoughts about Spencer.

"Hey there, baby!" Caleb exclaimed. "Yeah, the Cavanaugh-ster and I just landed. We're at the airport now. Uh-huh... Uh-huh... _Emily_? Alright, we'll look for her. I'll see you in a few, sweetheart. Love you."

"Was that Hanna?" Toby asked, causing Caleb to nod. "What does she want?" Toby asked another question.

"She sent Emily to pick us up," Caleb answered his question. "Sooo... with that...how about you hurry the hell up? Emily's waiting for us!"

"Alright, alright..." Toby mumbled in annoyance. He then built up happiness and said, "Emily Fields... I remember her. She's always been so pretty."

"I hope you're not crushing on Emily, because I hate to break it to you, but... she's a lesbian," Caleb laughed.

"She is not!" Toby argued. "Last time I saw her in Rosewood, she was going out with that swimmer jock. He was a real asshole. What was that ass's name? Oh right. Ben Coogan. Hated that guy from the first time I saw him!"

"You probably just hated him since he was going out with your crush," Caleb chuckled. "She _is_ a lesbian. When you see her, you can ask her yourself. But for now, hurry up!"

They head out the doors of the airport with the excitement of being back in Rosewood running through their veins. They didn't know about how awful of a town Rosewood was, ever since Alison DiLaurentis went missing and was found dead. They still thought of it as the small town they grew up in, with all their close friends.

"Emily!" Toby happily chirped. He threw himself into the tall and skinny girl's arms. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" He grinned at her.

"Toby, Caleb! It's so good to see you again," Emily smiled back at them. She then spoke teasingly, "Look at you, Toby! No more shaggy hair and weird beanies? You've really become a man over the year, with your hair gel. And _you_! Caleb, you don't have hair the same length as Hanna's anymore?"

"Oh, shut up. I like it shaggy. I'll admit, having hair down to my shoulders wasn't the most trendy thing around..._but_, it looks better now, a little past my ears, right?" Caleb smiled.

"It sure does," Emily nodded. "Now, just get in. I'm sure you're eager to see Hanna, right?"

"Oh yes!" Caleb exclaimed. "I really missed my Hanny-kinz."

Toby shot Caleb a glare. "_What_ did I say about calling her Hanny-kinz, Caleb? Pet names are cute, but that one is just bull."

"Okay, fine. Is Hanna-Banana better?" Caleb asked.

Toby rolled his eyes. He suggested, "Why don't you just called her Hanna?"

"Ehh...it's too boring," Caleb shrugged.

_Present Time_

_Rosewood, Pennsylvania_

_The Hastings' House_

Spencer rubbed her eyes. Her whole body felt heavy and achy from the events that took place last night. Just to her luck, the door burst open with a perky blonde with a wide smile. It was Hanna. She plopped herself down on Spencer's bed.

"Your mom let me in," Hanna informed her. "Have you forgotten what today is?"

Spencer yawned as she said, "What?"

"Caleb's coming back from California!" Hanna exclaimed. "Three years of waiting, and my baby is coming back!" After noticing that Spencer didn't really have much of an excited reaction to this, Hanna rolled her eyes.

"Oh _come on_, Spence. You could at least _try_ to put on a happy face for me...and maybe wear something decent."

Spencer rolled her eyes, "I think I'll pass. I'm not exactly in the mood for a reunion with Caleb today."

"So what? You're going to wait a few weeks until you're 'in the mood' to talk to him again?" Hanna said, a little upset.

"Pretty much," Spencer nodded.

"Caleb's been my boyfriend for four years, Spencer! _Four_ years. This is his return after three years of being gone. The least you could do for me is be a good friend and show up at the small reunion. It's just two guys. Caleb and that other guy from Rosewood. I forgot his name, but we weren't really close," Hanna said. "Please, Spence...I love him so much, and I want his return to be special."

"Fine, I'll throw on something decent, give the shaggy one a hug, and then sprint myself home. How does that sound to you?" Spencer asked, rolling her eyes.

"At least you'll be there. And...Caleb's coming to _your_ place with his friend in a few minutes," Hanna informed her.

"Wait..._what_?" Spencer turned to her blonde friend in shock. "You invited them here, and you didn't even tell me? Well, that's cool, I guess. Mhmm, just _casually _invite them into my house without telling me."

"I'm sorry! Your house is the biggest, and I thought I'd give the guys a comfortable place to reunite with us. You know this place has everything...hot tub, barn..." Hanna began with pout-y face.

"You know what? Forget it. How much time do I have before the guys get here?" Spencer asked with a worried face.

"He called me a few minutes ago. He said Emily just picked him up from Rosewood Airport. Just throw something sexy on!" Hanna urged.

"_Sexy_?" Spencer rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to throw something good on so I don't look like crap in front of your boyfriend, not so I can try to attract him."

Hanna began rummaging through Spencer's closet. She picked out short denim-shorts, that went barely past the butt, and a tank top. She threw them on the bed, where Spencer analyzed them.

"Oh honey, Caleb's not into you, but you still need to put on a good front. I can't let him think my friends are the kind of girls who wear...tear soaked shirts?" Hanna guessed as she scanned the brunette's outfit. "And who wears skinny jeans to sleep?"

"I'm sorry..." Spencer mumbled. "Yesterday was...a wild night."

"Ahh, I see. Still recovering from the big anniversary with Wren?" Hanna asked with a smile.

"You could say that," Spencer shrugged.

"So, what's with the tear-soaked shirt then?" Hanna asked.

"Um...Wren and I broke up last night," Spencer vaguely responded.

"You guys _broke up_?" Hanna looked at her friend in shock. "Why am I just hearing about this?"

"I wanted to take a little bit of personal time to process it," Spencer sighed. "I guess it...it was a mutual break up."

"I see," Hanna nodded. "Come on, forget Wren. Throw those hot clothes on!"

"Hanna, I experienced a break up less than ten hours ago. Cut me some slack?" Spencer pleaded. "I'm not exactly...feeling... this reunion thing."

"Well, it's too late to cancel now. They're on their way already," Hanna said. "Just put these on. I'm going to call Aria. She said she'd be here, but she's still not here! I can't have her arrive _after_ Caleb and his friend."

The doorbell rang.

"What a coincidence. That should be Aria," Hanna grinned. "Okay, you put this outfit on, and I'll go let her in."

_Five Minutes Later..._

Hanna & Aria were waiting in Spencer's living room eagerly. It had been so long since they'd seen Caleb. Nobody really remembered the other friend...he was known as just one of Caleb's good friends. Hanna never bothered to ask the name of this guy.

The door opened, but it was only Emily.

"Em!" Aria exclaimed with a bright smile. "Where are the guys?"

"They're here," Emily said with a smile. "They're just getting their bags out of the trunk, and putting them in the front of my car. I'm dropping their bags off, since I live so near Caleb's friend."

"Where the hell is Spencer?" Hanna asked with a groan. "It doesn't take five-hundred years to switch outfits!"

Spencer still wasn't downstairs, but Hanna decided she'd just reunite with Caleb, anyways. The shaggy-haired male made his way through the door. A smile crept up upon his face when he saw his blonde girlfriend sitting on the couch. She leaped up from the couch and threw herself into Caleb's arms mumbling several "Oh my god"s and "I love you"s.

"You look even better than I remembered you to be," Caleb complimented as he pulled back from the long embrace.

"Hmm, you're even sweeter than I remembered you to be," Hanna chuckled. "And of course, I'm loving the new hair cut you've got there."

"I like it much better, too!" Emily chimed in.

The other guy, the one that nobody really knew except Emily, made his way into the Hastings' house, too. Nobody really leaped up to give the blue-eyed one a hug, but he was fine with that. He wasn't really looking to reunite with anyone, anyways.

"You guys all remember my man Cavanaugh, right?" Caleb grinned, patting his best buddy on the back.

"You're Toby!" Aria squealed. "You're that guy that Spencer used to be crushing on!"

Toby shot Aria a smile. He never knew Spencer had a crush on him...

"That's new information," Toby chuckled. "Hmm, it's good to be back in Rosewood."

"Toby, I'm so sorry...I thought Spencer would have been down here by now, but I don't know what's taking her so long..." Hanna sighed. Hanna's voice changed into a loud one, "Spencer! Get your ass downstairs!"

The sleepy brunette took slow steps down the stairs.

"Hello Caleb, hello new guy. I'm Spencer Hastings," Spencer yawned as she quickly said this random introduction.

"I already knew that," Toby said, not looking at her yet. "I'm Toby."

The memories flashed to Spencer's head. Her close friend...her crush. That was his name. Toby. Was he that guy? Probably not. He couldn't be.

Her head quickly turned to look at him, as soon as he said his name was Toby. It _was _him. His hair wasn't as shaggy, but he had the same facial features... and the _eyes _she fell in love with in the ninth grade.

She made her way fully down the stairs.

"Toby Cavanaugh," she said his name fully.

"Yeah, that's me. I didn't think you-" Toby began, turning his head to look at the girl.

Damn.

Just...

Damn.

She was nothing like what he had expected her to be. Her hair was lengthy and past her shoulders, and it was down, not tied up in a ponytail, like in all the pictures he had of her. She had no big & geeky glasses. He could see her mocha-colored eyes perfectly. She wasn't wearing long-sleeved shirts & blazers. She wasn't wearing long pants. She wasn't fully covered up like she used to be. Her face was smooth and clear. Her skin looked creamy.

She was wearing short-shorts. She was wearing a _tank top_, with her cleavage partially sticking out. She looked _girly_. She looked _cute_. She looked _hot_.

"Sp-Spencer?" Toby's eyes widened. Her said her name in complete shock. "Y-you look h-hot. I mean, good. You look good. It's been awhile. Hi."

Spencer picked up on his nervousness, but she still didn't know that Toby Cavanaugh had already begun falling for her.

"Uh, hi. Remember me?" Spencer smiled, and stuck out a hand for him to shake.

Toby nodded eagerly.

"Oh...uh... we're shaking hands? Sorry...I...um..." Toby shook her hand. "J...just hi."

He wasn't supposed to feel like this about her. He wasn't supposed to think this girl was _hot. _She was supposed to be the same old nerdy Spencer who was just cute, not model-hot. It was Emily Fields that he used to have a crush on. Since when was it Spencer?

Toby Cavanaugh wasn't ready for the feelings that were coming to him. He _liked _her. He thought she was _hot_.


	3. Dreamers

**Sorry for the very, very postponed update. My computer shut down and deleted the chapter I was writing, so I got super mad and kind of just gave up on this. I decided to continue it, since my Spoby feels are back with season 4 :D Forgive me if characters are OOC, that's just the way the story was built. This is AU, so they all have slightly altered personalities.**

**Chapter 3: Dreamers**

* * *

Caleb suggested that they all caught up through a nice hot tubbin'. When Hanna, Emily, and Aria objected, saying that they didn't have their swimsuits with them, Caleb immaturely suggested that the ladies could skinny dip. That earned him a few minutes of the cold shoulder from Hanna, but they eventually kissed it out.

The three girls without their swimsuits went over to their houses, since they're so close-by Spencer's house. Meanwhile, Toby, Caleb, and Spencer got to sit down for a few minutes.

Spencer's hand slid over Toby's as she was raising it so she could push her hair behind her ears. It meant nothing to Spencer, but Toby was alarmed by this. His heart starting racing. He rejected the idea of having a crush on Spencer. It wasn't possible! They hadn't seen each other in years, he can't just all of a sudden _like_ her on the first day.

She'd obviously changed much more than expected. He never saw this coming. Emily was always the girl he'd liked. She had that silky-looking skin, athletic legs, beautiful face, sweet personality, funny... Now Spencer seemed to have them, too. Well, from what he remembered, she was smart, sweet, and funny.

Now she was also _hot_.

He couldn't take his mind having dirty thoughts about Spencer. It was so weird.

_**Toby's Mind**_

_He was hovering over Spencer's flawless body. Then he leaned in and they crashed their lips together. Her lips were so soft and kissable... he loved the way they felt against his own. _

_Toby put his hands on the hem of Spencer's tank top, and began yanking it over her head. Her smooth stomach was now revealed. He took this opportunity to leave a trail of kisses against her stomach. _

_He put his hands on the clasp of her bra, about to unhook it..._

_Damn, she looked so pretty right now._

**_Reality_**

"Dude!" Caleb called to him. "Quit fantasizing about sleeping with Emily, and come with me outside to get our swim trunks."

"Back off. I wasn't fantasizing about her," Toby rejected. It was the truth, though. He wasn't dreaming about the olive-skinned beauty, he was dreaming about the cream-skinned beauty.

He couldn't believe that he just had a sexual fantasy about _Spencer Hastings_.

Was he supposed to tell Caleb that he might like Spencer? Toby always told Caleb everything. They were best friends. They told each other everything! When there was a cute girl on the street, they told each other that. He always felt comfortable about saying anything to Caleb, but to tell him about Spencer... it felt weird.

Maybe it was because his own mind was denying the crush.

He did _not_ have a crush on Spencer!

"Whatever," Caleb said, rolling his eyes. "Spence, we'll be right back. We're gonna go get our swim trunks, as you probably know by now. When's my Hanna-Banana coming back? I'm already missing her like hell."

"It's been like five minutes, calm your ti-" Toby began.

"I am not a woman!" Caleb cut him off. "Don't finish that sentence, and _let's go_."

He was surprised. Spencer had barely said a word to him today. The only time they spoke was when they were 'reuniting', and she was probably forced to be polite to everyone because of Hanna. He couldn't believe that she used to like him when they were freshmen, and he never even noticed it.

She probably didn't like him anymore. It'd been three years, anyways.

Toby & Caleb grabbed their swim trunks and made their way back into Spencer's house. Aria, Emily, and Hanna soon returned. They were already dressed in their bikinis.

"Mmm, Hanna. I'm liking this," Caleb said, chuckling. "You look gorgeous, as always." He put his hands on Hanna's waist.

Toby wished he could have a relationship like that with Spencer.

Now he was starting to contemplate it really hard. _Did_ he have a crush on her?

"Spence, come on! Put your swimsuit on," Aria urged.

"I'm not feeling this whole hot tub thing..." Spencer said, shrugging.

"Sucks to suck!" Hanna said, annoyed. "Do it for me, Spence. It won't be bad. We're just going to all catch up in a hot tub. It'll be fun." Hanna lowered her voice to a whisper, "It'll help you get over your break up with Wren, too."

Of course, Hanna wasn't quiet enough. Everyone overheard it.

"Wren & you broke up!?" Aria asked, in shock. "Oh, Spence... I'm so sorry."

"Thanks, Hanna," Spencer said, rolling her eyes. "We did. But, I promise you that it's nothing. It's just a break up."

Toby wondered if that was why she was so upset today. He was happy that she was single, but disappointed that he had to see her so sad. He'd love to say something comforting, but he didn't know what to say. He didn't feel as close to her as he did in the ninth grade.

Emily gave her a pity look and said, "If you don't want to come-"

"No, it's fine," Spencer told her. "I'll go get changed. You guys can go start it."

Aria, Emily, and Hanna went out to Spencer's hot tub and turned it on. Meanwhile, Toby, Spencer, and Caleb stayed inside to get dressed.

It was easy for the guys to get into their trunks.

"Tobes, you go get Spencer. I want to go get a piece of my Hanna," Caleb said with a grin.

He was quite happy by this, actually. It gave him an excuse to talk to her. He was worried to see how stunning she looked in her bathing suit. He felt like a little pervert for thinking she was so hot, but he couldn't stop it. She seemed to be flawless now.

Toby made his way up the stairs to her bedroom. He remembered this house very well. He knew where all the rooms were. He'd hung out here several times.

He opened the door, and began saying, "Caleb told me to-"

Shit.

He realized she was changing.

_Changing_.

He felt like an ass now. Luckily, she covered herself before Toby saw anything. He quickly shut the door, breathing heavily. His cheeks were turning red, and his body was getting hotter. He couldn't believe he didn't knock or something! Why did this just _have_ to happen to him?

"You can open the door now," Spencer softly said. She didn't seem upset.

His hand reached for the golden doorknob, and he weakly opened the door. He was glad to see her fully dressed in her bathing suit. And she _did_ look stunning in it.

"Look, I'm _so _sorry about that," Toby apologized. "I promise you I didn't see anything. I feel so bad-"

"It's fine," she said emotionlessly. "Toby, accidents happen."

He loved the way she said his name.

Why was he getting so worked up over something as stupid as the way she said his name? He felt like he was obsessing over her now.

"So what were you saying?" she asked.

"Uh..." Toby mumbled. He nearly forgot what he was going to say because of the incidents. "Oh right. Caleb wanted me to tell you to come down to the hot tub. He told me to come get you."

"Oh," she said, nodding her head.

"Are you alright?" he blurted.

He wanted to be a good person and ask her that for a long time, but he felt like he'd be pressuring her to talk about her break up and everything. He didn't want to get nosy and try to get involved.

She nodded, "I'm getting better by the second. Thanks for asking."

"If you want to talk... I'm here," Toby said smoothly. He didn't stammer or screw up, much to his luck.

"It's nothing. It was just a bad break up last night," Spencer told him.

"Last night?" Toby asked, eyebrows raising. "I'm sorry. I heard about what happened to your friend Alison."

Spencer nodded. She let out a bitter chuckle and said, "Hasn't everyone heard?"

She hadn't really looked at Toby much. When she finally turned to him, she realized he was _shirtless_. She'd never seen him without a shirt before. They'd never really went swimming or anything. Her parents had just put the hot tub in their house a year after Toby left for California.

And since she'd never seen him shirtless, she never knew what was underneath. He had _abs__. _That's right. _Perfect_ abs, too. She tried not to get overwhelmed by how attractive he was. She always found him cute, especially when she used to have a crush on him, but he was _really_ attractive now. Maybe he always had abs, but she had never known until now.

She didn't want to like him like that, though. She was sick of dating. Boyfriends sucked to her right now. All her trust in love had went down the drain last night when Wren... _betrayed_ her.

"Spencer," Toby said in a calm and soothing voice, "I just wanted to let you know that I'm really glad to see you again."

"I'm glad to see you, too," she quickly said, since she was so caught off guard before.

Toby felt like things were going well, though. He was finally able to talk to her with a little more ease. Now he remembered why they were best friends. Sure, she was a little down because of her break up... But she still managed to be decent. Usually bad break ups made people upset like crazy, but she seemed to be put together so well.

They made their way to the hot tub without much more conversation. Toby immediately got nervous about everything with Caleb's presence. He _wanted_ to tell Caleb, but it just felt weird to say it. To be honest, he didn't even know if he had a crush on her or not.

"Cavanaugh!" Caleb exclaimed. "There you are, man. You were taking forever. Was someone having more dirty dreams about Emily?"

And then Spencer knew that even if she was attracted to him, it would be worthless. Sure, Toby called her hot when they were greeting each other earlier, but it didn't matter. According to all of Caleb's hints, he seemed to have a crush on Emily. She found that strange, since Emily was a lesbian, but that didn't mean that he couldn't still wish he could date her, right?

Emily chuckled a little and punched Caleb playfully in the arm, "Oh stop it, Caleb. You tease him too much."

"Come on, I just think it's funny that he liked you and he was into girls," Caleb said, laughing.

"Dude, shut up. I didn't know," Toby grumbled as he stepped into the hot tub. He made sure to sit next to Spencer, too.

"God, you're so mean to your best friend," Hanna said, whining a little. "Babe, leave him alone, okay? You've got to cut that out, you know. Sure, he liked Emily before, but he didn't know."

"So you're sticking up for him?" Caleb asked, smiling a little. "Do _you_ like Toby?"

Hanna rolled her eyes, "_Babe_... You're an ass."

"I like it when you call me that," Caleb said with a smirk. "Keep calling me that. It's hot."

Hanna rolled her eyes. She forgot how big of a weirdo her boyfriend was.

"Thanks Hanna," Toby said, smiling at her.

Hanna could be a sweetheart sometimes.

"Alright, _Caleb_. Now that you got us in this hot tub to 'catch up', what do you suggest we do to catch up?" Hanna asked, clinging on to Caleb's arms tightly.

"I don't know," Caleb said, shrugging. "I thought the catching up would work itself out, but you guys are all acting like Shy Guy from Mario & Luigi, and you won't say anything. Come on! I didn't think I was the most social one. I expected myself to be the least, actually."

"How about truth or dare?" Aria suggested. "You know, one of the cheesiest party games ever. It's cheesy, but it always gets the conversations rolling, right?"

"I guess," Hanna agreed. "It actually doesn't sound half bad. Good thinking, Aria."

"I try," Aria said, smiling proudly. "Since I thought of it, I get to go first, right? Good, because I'm going first anyways."

"Well, someone's eager," Emily said, chuckling.

"Actually, I can't think of anything," Aria said, frowning. "Someone else go."

"Ooh! Ooh! Pick me, pick me!" Caleb exclaimed. He was all jumpy like a little first grader who's eager to say an answer in the classroom.

"Well, since no one else wants to go first, I'm guessing Caleb's going to go," Aria said.

"That's right, bitches!" Caleb said, grinning. "The Tobester! I've got a truth & a dare picked out for you, so choose wisely. Once chosen..." Caleb turned his voice dark and creepy, "_There's no going back_."

Toby rolled his eyes at his friend's lameness.

"Let's play it safe. Truth," Toby simply said.

"Fine, fun-killer," Caleb unhappily said. "If you could kiss any girl in this hot tub, who would it be?"

"You suck, man," Toby sighed. "If I'm going to be honest here..." He stared at the floor. He knew his answer. He'd been thinking about the same girl since the moment he saw her today. Caleb was probably thinking he was going to say Emily.

"Spencer."

Spencer's eyes widened. What? What... WHAT?

She thought he liked Emily! He'd rather kiss _her _than someone more emotionally stable like Aria or Hanna or Emily...? Why? She never thought Toby thought of her as more than a friend. When they were freshmen, she always felt friendzoned by him, because he always said, "_Hey best friend_!"

"Cavanaugh, are you serious?" Caleb asked. "To be honest, I was expecting the name _Emily_ to slip out of your mouth."

"Caleb, I told you to freakin' drop that whole Emily & Toby thing!" Hanna said, annoyed.

"Spence, you haven't said anything," Aria said. She squeezed Spencer's hand and continued, "Are you okay?"

"Aria... Yeah, I'm fine," Spencer responded, nodding. "I'm just a little... surprised."

Well, the rest of the night wasn't _bad_. Spencer was pretty quiet. Maybe it was because she was upset about the break up with Wren, or maybe it was really because she was surprised about what Toby said.

* * *

Spencer was dressed in her clothes again. Since they were only in a hot tub, her hair was dry. The only person who's hair was wet was Toby's, and that's because Caleb refused to stop splashing him with the burning hot water.

"Spence," Hanna said, and sat down on her bed. "Is there something you're not telling us? Do you still like Toby or something?"

"I don't really _know_ him anymore," Spencer said, sighing. "I was just surprised by what he said, I guess."

"If you still like him, it's not a bad thing," Aria told her. "Are you worried that he still likes Emily or something?"

"Guys, he doesn't like me," Emily said, rolling her eyes. "He's clearly moved on. Caleb just likes to be an ass and tease him about it for no reason."

The door opened a little bit. He wasn't eavesdropping. He actually didn't hear anything, since he was too busy saying goodbye to Caleb.

"Can I come in?" Toby asked. "Spence, do you have any extra towels?"

"Y-yeah," Spencer stammered, nodding a little bit. He was still shirtless, and there was water dripping down his chest. He looked _really_ hot right now.

"Cool," Toby said. "Can I get one? Oh, and Hanna: Caleb's leaving, so if you want to say goodbye, you better hurry."

"My babe is leaving!" Hanna cried. "Spence, I gotta go say goodbye, so I'll be off. I'm heading home, anyways. I'll see you guys later."

"I should head off, too. I didn't know how long catching up would take," Aria said. "I don't think my mom expected it to take this long, either. So I should go."

"Same," Emily said. "Later Toby, later Spence."

Aria & Emily both waved at them. Toby waved back and gave them a sweet smile. After they exited, Spencer made her way to the bathroom to grab a towel for Toby. She tossed him the towel, and he dried himself off in a way that Spencer found was _extremely __sexy_.

"You might want to put your shirt on before my parents get home from work," Spencer teased.

Toby laughed a little bit at that comment.

"It feels good to be back in Rosewood," Toby said cheerfully. "I've missed this place."

"How can you miss this hell-hole?" Spencer asked, groaning. "Trust me, it's grown into hell ever since Alison's death."

Toby frowned, "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Oh, don't be. It still feels like she's everywhere, actually. She's dead, but she's alive," Spencer said, with a tone of mysteriousness in her voice. She didn't _mean_ to act all creepy and stuff, it just naturally happened.

"I don't exactly know what that's supposed to mean," Toby said. "And being out in sunny California was great, but I need to be here. I've missed you so much, though. I want to get back to that place that we were before I left."

"We could be. I just haven't been the friendliest person lately," Spencer sighed. "I had a bad break up with my boyfriend of a whole year yesterday, and the worst part is that it was our anniversary..."

"What an ass," Toby whispered, shaking his head. "I don't mean to be nosy, but what did he do?"

There was silence between them for a second.

"I'm sorry," Toby sighed. "That was wrong of me. I shouldn't be getting into your business. You're probably not ready to talk about it."

"It's fine, but yeah, I'm not," Spencer nodded. "I haven't even told Aria, Emily, and Hanna why. All they know is that the break up happened. I... I can't believe it happened. He's such a liar!"

He noticed that she was on the verge of crying.

"Spencer..." Toby tried to calm her down. "It's going to be okay."

"No it's not," Spencer said as the first tear dripped down her cheek. "You don't understand. It's_ not_ going to be okay. I'll never be able to trust anyone again without the fear of everything being a lie!"

"If he did something so horrendous to you, he doesn't deserve you," Toby told her. "You're amazing, and he's probably just an ass."

"Toby, I appreciate your comfort, but I kind of want to be alone right now," Spencer said.

"Yeah, I figured. I should be on my way, anyways. It's getting late," Toby nodded. "You know, you're really se-" He stopped himself before he could say 'sexy', realizing he slipped up big-time again. He un-smoothly finished it off, "Err. Strong. I meant strong. Sorry."

She faked a smile as he shut the door and left. Life sucked ass.

* * *

Toby and Caleb were crashing at a loft above this coffee placed called the Brew. Caleb didn't have a real place to stay, and Toby didn't want to continue to live with his annoying parents, so the two friends decided to combine their money and share a loft. It was decent sized, actually. It felt quite comfortable. They could get used to it. They'd saved up plenty of money from California.

"Hey man, I'm back-" Toby was greeting Caleb. Once he saw the sight in their loft, his eyes widened. "Guess it's not just a dude... Caleb, what the heck!? Have you not heard of _get a room_. And what happened to saying goodbye, you ass? Please... Don't tell me that's... _High School Musical_? Honestly, who does this? Who makes out with their girlfriend while watching _High School Musical_!?"

The sight in the loft was Hanna straddled on Caleb, kissing him passionately. The two were making out nonstop, until Toby finally made them aware of his presence. If he hadn't shown up, the two would probably have ended up sleeping with each other.

"Cavanaugh!" Caleb cried, as he pulled back. "Uh... Hanna likes this movie, not me, of course. I thought you'd end up making out with Spencer after what happened in the hot tub. Heh... Guess I thought wrong."

"Babe, I guess I should get going," Hanna said, biting her lip. "Sorry, Toby."

"Uh, sorry for interrupting?" Toby offered the couple, who looked brokenhearted. He felt a little bad for breaking their session out, since it was their first night reunited as a couple, but he wasn't going to stand for coming home to see a mushy make-out session with _High School Musical_ playing. It was a secret, but Toby liked the movie, too. He'd never _ever_ admit it to anyone, though.

"Good night, Hanna," Toby said, sighing. He ran a hand through his hair, still feeling awkward about interrupting their 'pre-sex'.

"Night, baby! I love you, my little Banana!" Caleb exclaimed. Hanna gave him a wave, and headed out the door.

Toby was relieved, though.

"Come on, man... I thought that sharing a loft meant us as buds, hanging out and chilling... listening to Daft Punk before bed, and..." Toby sighed as he took a seat next to Caleb. "I'm tired of watching Hanna and you make-out! I came back to the loft to hang, not watch that bull."

"Daft Punk before bed... Those were the days," Caleb said, grinning as he thought about California. "Sorry, dude! I thought Hanna & I had alone-time."

"Alone-time? That doesn't mean you can bring a girl over secretly!" Toby said, annoyed. "You could have let me know. I thought you two were saying goodbye at Spencer's place. She came running down to say goodbye."

"I guess I just missed her, so I invited her over," Caleb shrugged. "You were up with Spencer, so I thought you'd get some action yourself. You're lame. You could have gotten some from her."

"No way! We're really good friends, and I don't want to mess that up. Besides, she just got out of a relationship with some other guy," Toby told him, shaking it off. "I'm going to bed. And stop inviting Hanna over for make-out sessions."

"I'll make out with my girlfriend all I want!" Caleb childishly refused. "You're just jealous 'cause Emily's a lesbian and won't date you."

"Drop that crap! I don't like Emily, I promise you," Toby groaned. "We've been apart so long, I lost feelings. Plus, her being gay is a huge deal-breaker, obviously. I can't date a gay girl. I'll only end up getting hurt, because if I dated a gay girl, she wouldn't even be attracted to me. I don't mean to be rude, because Emily's great! I just want her as a friend right now, though."

"Then Aria? Do you like her?" Caleb asked.

"She has a boyfriend, Rivers," Toby told him.

"Spencer?"

Toby's heart stopped for a second. He didn't know what to say. Denying would be a lie, and accepting would be unsure.

"She's alright," Toby said, shrugging. "Good night, Caleb."

"Tobes! Hold up! Answer me!" Caleb called.

But Toby had already went into his bedroom. Well, he heard Caleb... He just chose to ignore him.


	4. Stupid Me

**I was so conflicted with who to put as Aria's boyfriend! I didn't want to disappoint either fanbase, so I found a way to please you both. I have a plan for the last chapter of the story, and hopefully both fanbases will be satisfied with the ending. But wow, guys! Thanks for all the votes. I didn't expect to get to 50+ because of the voting. Feedback is always welcome, so please go ahead and leave more reviews! I read every single review. You guys rock! I never expected so much feedback for this story.**

**So, Aria starts out with Jason. Ezria fans, do not freak! Ezra _will_ be in the story, so there's nothing to be worried about. I decided to make a love-triangle with Aria, because it's more fun that way, and each fanbase can have some good moments and some bad ones. But in the end, I think both fanbases will be really pleased with how it ends. I know it's a stupid way to end it, but I was just so conflicted, so I chose the easy way out, haha! I just didn't want one ship fanbase to hate the story because of it. **

**THERE IS LANGUAGE IN THIS STORY! So watch out if you're offended by profanity and sexual themes, because some of the things the characters talk about are sexual and full of profanity.**

**WOW! Long A/N. On with the chapter!**

**Chapter 4: Stupid Me  
**

Spencer spent all night _thinking_. Yeah, thinking. Most people would probably think that it was about Wren, based off of the current situation that she was going through. But it wasn't about the Brit that had stolen her heart and then shattered it through a betrayal, even though that was a huge part of the heartache she kept having. The reason she was thinking all night was because of a certain someone that returned to Rosewood.

She entered Mr. Ezra Fitz's English classroom, which was her homeroom and first period class. Surprisingly, Aria, Emily, and Hanna all had that class. And_ much_ to her surprise, Toby was in the classroom, seated between Emily and an empty desk. He was smiling and grinning as he listened to Emily tell him something, which was most likely a story of something that happened while he was away in California.

He had really grown into a man, hadn't he? Spencer was surprised that the kid who used to wear paper crowns and draw mustaches on his face with washable black Crayola markers had turned into this hottie. He certainly had matured in the looks department, although he was a cutie back in the middle school days, too. He still had that kiddish feel to him, though.

Every girl could only dream of having a handsome guy who was a child at heart. It was actually a _good _thing. Wren was mature and sophisticated, even though he was charming when he stole her heart. _But_, Toby had that childish feeling to him, which made him all the more loveable and fun. She was already remembering why she fell for him back then.

She stopped for a moment to watch him talk to Emily. His boyish grin was so adorable. He hadn't lost that cute boyish grin. Plus, it suited his mature face for some reason. He had become _really_ attractive over the years. She missed this guy.

Lucky for her, there was an empty desk next to him. She took this to her advantage, and sat down right at it. If anyone asked, the seating was by default. She wanted to sit near her friends, and there was a perfect empty seat right here!

"Spence, hey," Emily greeted, stopping her story. "Where were you this morning? We couldn't find you. Toby was just super eager to see you. Tobes, didn't you want to show Spencer something?"

"Yeah!" Toby exclaimed. "Get ready for this, Hastings."

"I'm ready." She said.

He pulled something out from behind him. She could see that it had been poorly colored with a yellow crayon. Raising it above his head, his boyish grin reappeared. His arms were stretched super high, so his shirt began to raise a little. Spencer couldn't help but take a look at the visible part of his stomach. She could see a little portion of those gorgeous abs.

Snapping back to reality, she looked up where she knew she was supposed to be looking the whole time. There he was, with his stupid little paper crown on his head. Emily threw herself into a fit of giggles, unable to stop smiling once she stopped giggling. Strangely, Spencer couldn't stop herself from laughing, too. He looked like such an adorable dork in his paper crown. She missed him wearing that stupid crown every single day. When they hung out, he always loved to wear one.

"This is the paper crown we made together at my little nephew Devon's birthday party," Toby said, still boyishly grinning. "I kept it all this years. Do you remember this, Spence? Emily, you weren't there, but you should have been! You were at swim practice. If you came, you would have enjoyed it. I actually enjoyed myself a lot. Maybe it was because I got to hang out with the best person ever."

"Devon? Yeah, Devon was a pretty great kid," Spencer agreed with him, smiling and nodding. He actually looked hot in that crown.

"No, not Devon. Well yeah, he's great, too. But he's just my nephew. I was talking about _you_, Spence! _You're_ the best person ever," Toby told her, smiling.

She tried to stop herself from blushing. Luckily, their teacher, Mr. Fitz, entered the classroom. Aria's eyes flickered back and forth from the teacher to the ground. She'd always talked about how Mr. Fitz was her favorite teacher at school. He was a nice teacher and all, but her friends thought it was only because Mr. Fitz adored Aria.

"Good morning, class. If you're not in your seat, please take it now," Mr. Fitz began as he sat down at his desk. "Hey you! Hats off in the classroom, please. It's a school policy. _Wait_! You're the new student that Mr. Tamborelli was talking about. Welcome back to Rosewood High. I believe you've went to this school before. Am I right?"

"Yes, sir." Toby shyly said, as all eyes were on him. He didn't know the teacher's name, either.

"I'm Mr. Fitz. As I said, welcome back to Rosewood High. But welcome to my class! I expect all of you other students to make-" Mr. Fitz began. He had to look down on a piece of paper for a moment to get his name. "...Uh... to make _Toby Cavanaugh_ feel welcome here. Anyways, you're just in time, Mister Cavanaugh. We're only starting _Romeo and Juliet_ today, so you don't have much to catch up on. Class, please take the books below you and turn to the page of characters. Scan through. Once you've done that, flip to Act 1 Scene 1, and I'll pick a reader."

* * *

Toby's first day went quite well. He had three classes with Spencer, meaning he could stare at her when she wasn't looking in class a lot, much to his luck. He also had two classes with Emily. He only had first period with Aria and Hanna, but that didn't matter because he wasn't as close with him. Unfortunately, he got zero classes with Caleb, which was super upsetting for him. How was he supposed to live with only seeing Caleb at lunch and after school?

When lunch _finally_ came, Toby felt like he needed to throw a party for how excited he was about it.

"Heeey, _baby_!" Caleb exclaimed as he sat down next to his girlfriend and gave her a kiss.

"Hey, you! How was your first day?" Hanna asked. "And yours, Cavanaugh?"

"Mine was alright. It sucked. I have _no_ classes with you or the Cavanaugh-ster," Caleb explained, sighing. "Oh well. I met this guy who seems pretty awesome in my science class, though. Anyone heard of someone named Noel?"

"Ugh, Noel. Aria dated him," Emily told him. "He's alright, but a little overly self-confident."

Of course, Toby wasn't listening to Hanna's question, or any part of the conversation. He was too busy admiring Spencer. He couldn't believe that she was _this_ girl. She was totally _hot_ now, and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She seemed to not even notice him anymore. All he got from her in Mr. Fitz's classroom was a smile and a giggle when he put the paper crown from Devon's party on his head. She didn't even seem to be interested anymore! Aria had revealed that Spencer used to like him, and now Toby felt like complete shit knowing that he never noticed.

Now that crush was probably gone.

He tried to stop himself, but he couldn't control himself from being the perverted teenage boy he was. It was in his DNA! He couldn't control the fact that he was attracted to girls and wanted to look at them. He was staring at her _cleavage_, which was the worst part. Luckily, no one seemed to notice. They were all busy chatting it up and eating their lunches.

"_Hello_? Someone's gone deaf," Hanna chortled at her own comment. "Toby freakin' Cavanaugh! Answer me."

When he realized he was lost in his perverted world, he shook his head frantically and blinked his eyes faster than the speed of light.

"Oh. Sorry, Hanna. School's just hitting me hard. I kinda have a headache, but I think I'm all good now," Toby said, sighing. "So what was that you wanted me to answer?"

"I was wondering how your first day back at school here is going." Hanna told him, not losing her cheerful smile.

"It's alright so far. I checked with all you guys, and only one class with Aria and you, but I have three with Spencer, which is cool. None with Caleb, though, so that sucks a little bit," Toby explained.

"Are you alright?" Spencer asked, looking at him a little worried. "You haven't touched your food."

Toby looked sick for some reason. His stomach was just churning, and he was getting all sweaty. He knew he thought Spencer was hot, and he wanted these god damn feelings to stop! He _couldn't_ like her. Wasn't she supposed to be the dorky best friend that never cared about looking hot? Her goal was to get the grades and please her family. Of course, when he came back, she just _had_ to look hot.

He hated the way her top cradled her cleavage so perfectly. And he hated the way she was so perfect. He hated the way she was so beautiful, smart, and funny. Not a lot of girls have all three of those things. It's hard to make yourself stable while managing tough parents and a sister to live up to. He wondered how she could still be so perfect.

"I'm fine," he responded. "I told you guys... headache and such. I'm just not feeling the whole eating thing right now. I'll just get a snack after school if I'm feeling better."

"So Tobes!" Caleb began, grinning while he started to change the subject. "Do you like school here better than school in California?"

"Well, yeah. It feels like home to be here. This isn't the breast pla-" Toby began to explain. Once he realized what he had said, his cheeks were reddening. Oh shit. _Shit_. He thought that sickening feeling he had was gone...

Well, it was back. His body was heating up like a volcano, and he felt like throwing up. He didn't understand why he felt so sick, but that slip-up was the most embarrassing thing _ever_. Did they notice that it was because he was checking Spencer out? He hoped not; he really did.

To make it worse, Aria, Hanna, and Emily were chuckling and giggling at his slip-up. Spencer and Caleb were exchanging weird glances at each other, like they knew something was wrong with Toby.

"Excuse me... for a second..." Toby choked the words out. "I need a moment. I'll be right back."

He let the words out so quickly. His cheeks were burning. He knew they were still super red from blushing of embarrassment. That _had_ to be one of the most embarrassing moments ever. Sure, they were all close friends, but it still felt super awkward, and he knew the reason why. _Spencer_.

To the bathroom he went, as quickly as his legs could carry him. He splashed his face with cool water from the sink. After exiting, he really didn't want to go back to the cafeteria. Still embarrassed, he leaned against a wall next to the men's bathroom door, and just took a breath. He needed this.

* * *

"Hey there, beautiful," Jason DiLaurentis happily said as he took a seat next to Aria. "Sorry I got here so late. Some of my friends from last year's football team and I were practicing. Tryouts are coming up soon, and so many guys have been working hard to make the cut. It's gonna be harder to get on the team this year, so I've got to work my ass off."

"No, no, it's fine! I don't want you to hold back your practicing for me. I _want_ you to make the team, so you practice all you want," Aria said, smiling at him. "And by the way, I know you're going to make the team. You're an amazing football player."

Jason and Aria were cheesily gazing into each others' eyes happily when Caleb cut off their romantic eye-sex.

"Football team? Awesome!" Caleb exclaimed. "Cavanaugh and I played football a lot with the guys from work in California. Maybe I wanna try to get a spot on that team this year."

"Huh? Caleb!" Jason exclaimed with a grin on his face. "You're back in Rosewood! Remember me? I'm Jason."

"Yeah, I remember you, man! You finally got Aria, didn't you?" Caleb asked, grinning right back.

He just smiled at him and said, "So I'm guessing by what you said earlier that Toby Cavanaugh is back in town, too. Where is the guy? He was a pretty cool guy back when I talked to him before he left."

"He ran off after getting all embarrassed," Caleb said, snickering. The others giggled a little, too. "I think he'll be trying out for the football team, too. Look out, Jason. You might have some competition this year. _Real_ competition."

"We'll see. If you're as good as you say, you better make the cut this year. Coach isn't going easy. He only wants the best players for the team," Jason explained.

"Can we _not_ talk about football?" Hanna pleased.

"I'd like that. I'm all for sports, but talking about it... well, it's not as fun as actually watching the sport," Emily said.

"Sorry," Jason apologized. "When it comes to football, I get a little overly into it."

"I've noticed," Aria said, chuckling. She kissed Jason's cheek and leaned into his chest.

"Jason, hey!" Noel Kahn exclaimed as he walked up to the table. "Oh, hey there Newbie Caleb that I met in science class. Good thing you're here. I wanted to let you know that I'm throwing a party in two weeks. It's on the first Saturday of the month. I'm inviting you all. Be there or be square!"

"Square? Spongebob is square. I'd like to be a sea-sponge," Caleb said, grinning.

"Shut up," Hanna said, playfully rolling her eyes. "Thanks Noel. We better be there."

"Unless I'm _busy_," Caleb stubbornly said, crossing his arms.

"How can you be busy? You just got back in town like yesterday. No one would have made plans with you so soon besides Hanna, and she's going to the party," Aria pointed out.

"God! Way to embarrass me almost as much as Cavanaugh," Caleb said, grinning. He just wanted to point out Toby's embarrassing moment.

"Oh right, Toby Cavanaugh's back in town. Tell the dude to come to my party, too. I want him there," Noel said, smiling. "I'll see you all _later_. I have to get back to my crew."

Noel waddled off to his 'crew', which was Hanna's ex-boyfriend Sean Ackard, Emily's ex-boyfriend Ben Coogan, and a couple of other jocks that none of their group cared a damn about.

"Isn't anyone worried about Toby?" Spencer asked. "Guys, I think I'm going to find him. I don't think he remembers his way around the school. I just don't want him getting into any trouble or anything. Way to make him feel bad for making a slip-up in his words!"

Spencer got up from their lunch table to find him.

"When is she going to realize that Toby's slip-up was because he was staring at her boobs?" Hanna asked, chortling again.

"I know, right! I thought I was the only one who noticed!" Aria exclaimed, laughing hysterically. "Emily, Caleb... Did you guys see that?"

"Hell yeah!" Caleb exclaimed.

"I noticed, too. I just didn't want to say anything because Spencer was still here. I thought she'd get freaked out," Emily admitted.

"What even happened?" Jason asked.

Hanna, Aria, Emily, and Caleb all burst out laughing once again before they explained what happened to Jason.

* * *

First she checked the parking lot, to see if his motorcycle was still there. She was glad that he hadn't decided to leave school or something. She realized that he went the direction of the bathroom, so she made her way over to it. To her luck, he was there, just like she thought he'd be.

"What are you doing here?" Spencer asked. "Come on, are you_ that _offended because they were laughing at you? It was an honest mistake, and I know that. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You shouldn't be moping over this. It's nothing."

"Oh, no... Yeah, I was annoyed by the laughter, but I've been thinking about my uh... mom all day," Toby lied. "I just really miss her. I wanted to come back to Rosewood and jump into her arms, but she wasn't here for me. All I have is you guys, and Hanna and Aria don't know me all that well."

"Well, you're back, and you can get to know Hanna and Aria. You have Caleb and Emily. And... me," Spencer let out a deep breath when she said 'me'. She looked down to him nervously, waiting for his reaction to that.

"It feels good to know that. Thanks," he said, nodding. "I just hope Rosewood's as fun as I remember it to be."

"Yeah, it feels like it's been turned into hell for me ever since Alison disappeared," Spencer said, sighing again. "You know what it's like to lose someone you're so close with. You understand."

"I do," Toby said, nodding. "Is there still time to get back to the cafeteria?"

She glanced at the clock on the wall and shook her head.

"The bell rings in three minutes. I have the schedule memorized," Spencer told him proudly, causing him to chuckle. "Can I walk you to class?"

He tried to stop the smile from forming on his face.

"Sure. That would be cool," he simply said.

* * *

_A Week Later_

_After school_

_The Loft_

"I'm gonna show Jason that I've got the game that I said I did," Caleb said, grinning. "Hanna will be blown away by my mad football skills. I bet you Aria will be like, 'whoa, Caleb is_ way_ better than my boyfriend'! Plus, I'm even going for Jason's spot on the team. That's right, biznitches! _Quarterback_!"

"Quarterback?" Toby asked, scoffing. "I doubt it. You know, playing a few matches with our co-workers in California doesn't make you a pro. Jason and those other football jocks have all played a lot, and have probably been on the team, too. They're better than good!"

"Come on, man! Football players are like the most wanted guys at school," Caleb sighed, and sat down on the couch next to Toby, who was watching Spongebob on TV.

"Well, if you really wanna beat those guys, practice your ass off. Watching Spongebob isn't gonna help you make the team, so I suggest you go practice right now," Toby told him.

"And watching Spongebob will help _you_ make the team?" Caleb asked.

"Hell no. I never said I was trying out. Jocks are overrated," Toby scoffed as he continued to keep his eyes glued to the TV.

"I assumed that you'd be trying out since you seemed to want to impress Spencer so badly," Caleb said, shrugging.

"Wait, what?" Toby turned his attention away from the TV and to Caleb. "You think I wanna friggin' impress _her_. She's like a sister to me!"

"Well, you were staring at her boobs..." Caleb said, biting his lip. "To let you know, if you start dating her and you continue that, she'll probably smack you upside the head. I would know. Hanna smacked me just like that. I was a newbie at dating, though. We just started a relationship. It was back in the days that all a guy could do when he liked a girl was jack off about her."

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Toby cried, exasperated with Caleb's behavior. "Have a little decency, Rivers. I know we're both guys, but that's _disgusting_. Don't tell me about stuff like that. And I wasn't staring at her boobs. I just happen to think she's cute. It doesn't mean I want to date her."

"So if she came in here and asked you out, what would you say?" Caleb asked.

"Shut up! Let's talk about football again," Toby said.

"Fine, if you're not into Spencer, then I know the _real_ reason you won't even bother to give the football team a try. You're freakin' scared you won't make the cut, and the guys who are good at football will think you suck! I'm totally right. You're just a wuss, and won't try out." Caleb challenged.

"I could totally make the team! I just think jocks are overrated." Toby declared.

"Alright, alright," Caleb said, putting his hands up in surrender. "Cough...cough... _Wuss_."

"You ass! I'm not a wuss," Toby lamely defended himself through gritted teeth. "Go 'ef yourself, Rivers. I could make the team if I wanted to. I just choose not to."

"Prove it to me, then," Caleb said, smirking. "Prove to me that you're no wuss!"

"I don't have to prove _anything_ to a mofo like you!" Toby yelled. "Besides, being on the team takes out a large chunk of my free-time. I'd lose all this after school time that I have to watch stuff like Spongebob, because I'd have to go to stupid practice."

"But football's awesome! Plus, you get to rip your shirt off and show the ladies what you've got. You're a single man, too. I can make Hanna get all jealous when the girls come rolling in at me," Caleb said, grinning. "You know what? Fine. You don't have to prove it to me, like you said. But I'll always think you're a wuss... _until_... you prove yourself as not a wuss by trying out for the football team."

"You're on, Rivers!" Toby shouted, still upset that Caleb was doubting him. "I'm up for a quarter of game play if you wanna see what moves I picked up in California. I'll _own_ you. I'll practice so hard, and then tear you down in the tryouts and steal that quarterback spot from you _and_ Jason!"

"That's the spirit, Cavanaugh," Caleb said, grinning. "Normally, I wouldn't be encouraging you to try out, but you have no chance against me _and_ Jason, so whatever. Let the best man win this competition! At least you're not a wuss since you're trying out... _unless_ you back down last second."

"There will be no backing out. I'm trying out, and I'll practice my butt off to get the spot. A real man never gives up," Toby proudly spoke.

"But you're no man," Caleb joked, which earned him a glare. "Kidding. Chill out. Let's go practice a little. You're right, Spongebob's getting us nowhere."

_Friday; After Tryouts_

"Tobes, how do you think you did?" Caleb asked, sweating terribly as he entered the guy's locker room. "You think you got quarterback? I saw Coach eying Noel. Noel's probably the QB, huh? All that fighting for nothing..."

Toby panted a little, "Hey, it wasn't for nothing at all. Maybe we got another position on the team."

"Ay, Coach is comin'! He's gonna tell us when the results will be posted," Sean announced.

Sean was right. The football team's official coach stepped into the locker room with a grin on his face. He looked proud of the men in front of him. He patted Noel on the back as he walked in.

"Gentlemen, I am very impressed with each and every one of you. This year's team is going to be great. Sucks to suck if you didn't make it, though. I have my eye set on a team of men who seem perfect for the team. If you didn't, don't feel bad. Just keep working, there'll always be teams outside of school that want you. But anyways, I'll finalize my decision, and lucky for you, results after school, posted outside of the locker room," Coach explained. "Oh, and first practice is after school, if you made the cut. I'll hand out jerseys, helmets, and everything you'll need for the season, then we can get straight to work. We're in it to win it this year!"

For the rest of the day, all the guys who tried out were anxious. Caleb looked confident that he got the spot, but so did Noel. Jason was neutral.

"Hey, if you didn't make the team, it'll be alright, Caleb," Emily told him, and stroked his arm.

"Yeah, it doesn't mean you're not good. It just means that coach is too stupid to put my little perfect boy on the team," Hanna flirtatiously said, smiling and leaning onto his chest as they walked to their next class.

"Thanks, babe, but I think I got this in the bag. Sean Ackard kept telling me that Coach smiled at me multiple times!" Caleb proudly exclaimed. "That's always an awesome sign of getting on the team. I really think I might be the official QB this year."

They went to their final class for the day. Each boy was anxiously waiting for the bell to ring. This team was something that could chance their after school time. Instead of watching Spongebob like losers, they could do something productive while being those athletic and loveable guys! For some reason, high school girls always liked football jocks better.

When the bell rang, Toby rushed off to meet with Caleb. The two best friends wanted to be with each other when they looked at the results. This was the moment they were so anxious for. It was here!

"Dude, if you make the team, wanna make a bet?" Caleb asked. "It'll show you're _really_ not a wuss."

"Hit me up."

"Kiss her. You've got to kiss Spencer if you make the team. The football team supposedly increases your cool by a lot. I was talking to this know-it-all kinda guy named Lucas or something... he said that football players' cool gets amped up by a lot! If Spencer knows you're a football player, there's no way she'll reject your kiss. And if you didn't make the team, you're safe." Caleb explained.

Without thinking, Toby said, "You're on."

He wanted to back out, but he couldn't now, or he'd face getting called a wuss forever. Maybe this would allow him to finally make a move on Spencer, like he wanted to do since he got back from California. He wanted to make the team, but he was afraid of kissing Spencer. What if she got upset?

As if perfect timing, Spencer Hastings showed up behind Toby. She'd hung out with him a couple of times, and they resumed a moderate friendship, although they weren't as close as they were before he left. But of course, time could fix that and bring them back to best friends. Hopefully he'd feel as comfortable as he did with Caleb.

"Hey, you!" Spencer exclaimed. "I wanted to be there when you read the football team list. I hope you made it, Tobes."

"Thanks," he grinned. "I'm so nervous for this."

"Emily has gone through this a lot. She always says that 'whatever happens, happens'," Spencer quoted Emily. "Oh, and somehow, she always makes the team."

"Well, Emily's a crazy awesome swimmer," Toby said as they walked outside of school.

There was a line of guys looking at the list. Some were sobbing, and some were cheering. Noel Kahn was high-fiving all of his friends. Toby felt an ache in his heart. He felt a strong feeling that Noel had gotten the quarterback position. Jason didn't look overly happy, but he was neutral and allowing Aria to cutely cuddle into his chest.

"Here goes nothing," Toby whispered, and took a deep breath.

His eyes locked onto the sheet.

_Rosewood High Football Team. Coached by Coach Michael Campbell for the 2012-2013 Schoolyear. Senior/Junior Football Team Tryout Results_

_Receiver: Noel Kahn_

_Running Back: Sean Ackard_

_Offensive Line: Jason DiLaurentis_

_Linebacker: Andrew Campbell_

_Defensive Line: Jake Guzman **(A/N: Lol I wanted to put Jake in the story, but he's not Aria's love interest, and idk his last name so it's the actor's last name, which is Guzman)**_

_Kicker: Ben Coogan  
_

_Long Snapper: Mike Montgomery_

_Center: Alex Santiago_

_Defensive Back: Garrett Reynolds_

_Quarterback: Toby Cavanaugh_

_FIRST PRACTICE RIGHT AFTER SCHOOL AT FOOTBALL FIELD_

Toby couldn't believe his eyes. Quarterback? Holy shit! He got the position. He was surprised that Caleb's name wasn't on the list at all, and so was Caleb himself. He was freaking out and clinging on to Hanna and Emily tightly. He looked like he was about to go into tears.

"How the hell did Andrew Campbell make the team but not me!? The kid's scrawnier than shit!" Caleb yelled out of rage.

"Maybe he's scrawny but one of those stealthy guys," Emily suggested.

"Em, I dunno. Linebacker's gotta be a strong and tough guy. I'm pretty sure the Andrew kid just got the spot because Coach Campbell's his daddy," Toby told him.

"Toby, you made the team!" Spencer exclaimed, and pulled Toby into a sweet hug.

He instantly froze. Shit. He had to kiss her. Maybe he could back out. He didn't _have_ to, did he? He sighed. He was in a world of trouble. He decided he'd confront Caleb about it, and maybe get out of it. If he said no, which he'd most likely do, he'd do it _after_ practice. He just wasn't ready now.

"Jason, you don't _have_ to be the quarterback. You're whatever the offensive line is! I don't know anything about football, but I know you made the team, and that's pretty amazing," Aria said, clinging onto his arm as they approached the rest of the group.

"At least you made the team," Caleb huffed.

"You didn't make it? Struck out? Well, it's no biggie. I wish I was QB, but whatever. But congratulations, Cavanaugh. The guys envy you, you know. Anyone on our team is probably waiting to yank that spot from you," Jason smirked. "I'm kidding, but watch out, anyways. All the guys wanna be quarterback. It just feels grander."

"I'm talking to Coach Campbell!" Caleb frowned.

"Would Coach Campbell allow us to watch you guys practice?" Emily asked. "I want to see how your first practice goes."

"He won't. Andrew's father is a really chill coach," Jason said, smiling. "I hope he kicks Andrew off, though. Andrew sucks. Don't tell him, or he'll probably get upset that you're insulting his son. Anyways, all the guys brought their girlfriends to the first practice last year, too. It doesn't matter."

So, they made their way to the guys's first practice. They changed into their new jerseys and tight pants while the girls... _and Caleb_... sat on the bleachers while watching the guys practice. Coach Campbell made them run laps around the football field, and just pass the football around a little after talking. They ran a lot of laps.

They were all sweaty and gross, which lucky for the girls, made most of them throw their shirts off. It was all probably just to impress the girls.

The guys went into a huddle, when Caleb finally decided to talk to Coach Campbell.

When Caleb left, Hanna commented, "Spence, don't you think the guys look _so_ sexy with their shirts off? They're all sweaty, but it's so hot! Damn, I wish my babe made the team. He was all cocky that he did."

"Jason in tight pants and without his shirt? I'm loving this. I like football now." Aria suggestively said, smiling as she watched her boyfriend toss a football back and forth with Sean Ackard.

"I... I kinda think _Toby_ looks good..." Spencer said in a barely audible tone.

"_What_!? You guys should hook up! He's always checking you out," Hanna said, grinning.

"He is not! And we're just friends. He's nice," Spencer said.

"And hot," Hanna added, still grinning. "He probably likes you. Just wait, you guys will end up together."

"We won't! Wren and I _just_ broke up!" Spencer objected, crossing her arms.

"Whatever you say," Hanna said, shrugging.

"You guys_ would_ be cute together," Emily commented.

"Emily! You're supposed to be on _my _side. Aria? Be on mine," Spencer pleaded.

"Sorry, Spence. I have to agree. He seems like your perfect boyfriend. Wren was great, but I was never really the biggest fan of him. Toby's perfect. He'd never hurt you. Your friendship with him is adorable!" Aria squealed.

* * *

Heart pounding... body still sweating... and not just because of football practice. Caleb had forced Toby to do the bet, by blackmail. He said that he'd tell Spencer that Toby was staring at her breasts last week, which was embarrassing. But kissing her? It felt even weirder. Maybe he could just let Caleb tell, and then he could disagree with it. That felt more right. Who would believe Caleb, anyway?

Part of him actually _wanted _to kiss her, though.

"Hey Spence!" Toby exclaimed after half-time of practice. His shirt was still off, and he was still in his tight pants on the field. The other guys were chatting, drinking water, and just hanging out until Coach Campbell was ready to resume practice.

"Oh, hey." Spencer said, a little nervously after what all her friends had said. "You l-looked... I mean uh- _played_ nice out there. You'll be a great quarterback. You deserved the spot more than any other guy."

"Really? Thanks," Toby said, smiling. "I'd like to watch you play field hockey sometime. You'd look cute in the outfit, I'm sure. And uh... the game would be fun to watch."

Spencer was blushing like crazy now, and her heart was pounding, much like Toby's. Little did she know, Toby would have to do something that she'd never have the courage to do herself.

"You remember that I play field hockey?" Spencer asked, smiling a little.

"Yeah, of course." Toby responded, nodding.

There was a small moment of silence between them.

But Toby broke it.

He kissed her.

It was a kiss so quick that it was barely a second. He felt like choking after the kiss. It wasn't because he didn't like it. It was because he was worried that_ she_ wouldn't.

"I have to go." Spencer stated.

She hurried off, leaving a very clueless Toby there.

"Stupid me..." Toby muttered as he began walking back to the football field.

* * *

**Well okie! Chapter 4. I know it sucked. I wanted a football situation, though. Sorry if it sucked :( I hope you guys still like it and want to continue reading! Reviews would be awesome, but you, of course, don't have to.  
**


	5. All Those Pretty Lights

**I really love Andrew Belle's music! This is one of my favorite songs, and I think it fits perfect. Tobes fell for her, and he wants it to be something more (which I think is the meaning of the song). **

**BUT... _Dun dun dun dun..._ Your betrayer is returning in this chapter. Remember him? Well, things are gonna get complicated ;) **

**OH! And the Ezria vs. Jaria love triangle rockets off, for anyone who was upset about me not picking Ezra. I promise you that you will be satisfied by the end of the story.**

**There are a few parts of the song used in the chapter, but it's not a songfic-y chapter. All credit to Andrew Belle for the lyrics used!**

**Chapter 5: All Those Pretty Lights**

It had been a whole week since the kiss. Caleb had convinced the coach to be a substitute just in case another player got injured, so he was sort of on the team. Spencer and Toby had been hanging out _a lot_ lately, but just as friends. They practically pretended like the kiss never happened.

"We're going to the lake by the hilltop with Aria and Jason," Hanna announced as Caleb and her walked into the loft at nearly 9 PM, where Spencer and Toby were watching a weird cartoon. "Emily can't make it, though. Her mom's keeping her home. They think she's not safe... because... yeah."

"The lake... that place is nice," Spencer said.

"Uh-huh. So come with us!" Hanna demanded.

"I don't know..." Spencer muttered, sighing quietly.

Toby looked at her for a moment. He got up from the couch and dragged her up.

"You're coming. I promise I'll make you have a good time," Toby promised, giving her a sweet smile.

They were just looking at each other strangely, until Hanna gladly interrupted.

"Well, since you're coming, can we go now?" Hanna impatiently urged. "I don't know what's going on between you two, but I'm not letting it stop us from going! I haven't been to the lake in forever."

The four made their way to the lake, where Aria and Jason also were. They were dipping their feet in the water while sitting on the dock, with their hands entangled together lovingly. Aria was resting her head on Jason's.

"You guys are too cute," Hanna commented as she joined her friends.

"Hey Hanna," Jason greeted blandly. "Spencer, Toby? Hey."

Spencer's tiny denim shorts and cute tank top were perfect for a night at the lake, without needing to change into a bathing suit. Besides, the water was a little to chilly to take a swim in, so she was planning on doing exactly what Aria and Jason were doing.

She was kinda... sorta... _really_hoping that Toby would want to join her in whatever.

Well, she was pretty lucky. She was getting her wish. Hanna and Caleb were occupied with each other, as were Aria and Jason. That left Spencer and Toby to find company in each other.

"Spencer," Toby happily said. "You willing to get your feet wet or what?"

"It's too cold," Spencer shook her head.

"You'll get used to it. In California, I went to so many beaches. You always just had to get used to the cold ocean water," Toby said, shrugging. "The trick is to just dip your feet right in, and in a little bit, it'll all feel normal."

"Fine," Spencer agreed, smiling. "I'll do it if you do it."

They sat on the very edge of the dock, diagonal to where Aria and Jason were hand-holding and feet-dipping.

"On the count of three, we put our feet in," Toby told her. "Three... two... one... _go_!"

The lake water looked beautiful at night. He was right; she got used to the water in a minute or so.

"_Aria_?"

Aria was surprised to hear her name. None of the friends on the lake visit had said it, though. She looked back to the land near the shore of the lake, which was right below the beginning of the hill. There was somebody else here.

Ezra.

"Oh. Mr. Fitz, hello," Aria nervously greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"I always take night time jogs near the lake on Fridays," Ezra informed her. "Well, I'll see you in class, Miss Montgomery. Sorry, I didn't recognize the rest of you... but yeah. I'll see you all in class, I think."

Jason got the feeling that something was wrong. Her hand began trembling in his as soon as Ezra entered the premises. Jason _knew _when something was bugging his girlfriend.

And of course, Ezra was jealous; he was jealous to see his woman with another man! He had met Aria a long time ago, and things got pretty heated, but he broke it off when he realized that their relationship was crazy. Why was it crazy? They'd been secretly dating for a month while he was her freaking teacher! It was so illegal, and he didn't want anything bad to happen. So for both their sakes, he broke it off.

"Ar... What's wrong?" Jason asked.

"Nothing," Aria quickly lied. "I just thought it was weird to see a teacher out at this hour."

"Oh," Jason bit his lip.

He knew she was lying, and Aria knew he knew... if that made any sense at all. She pressed her lips against him, and looped her arms around his neck. She just needed to stop this tension that was caused because of Ezra's arrival. She thought that maybe Jason would forget about her awkwardness due to Ezra if she kissed him, so she did. To her luck, he didn't ask about Ezra anymore.

"I don't get the point of being here with everyone if they're not even going to talk to us," Toby said, chuckling. "Since there's nothing to be here for... do you want to go to the hilltop? For old time's sake."

"I don't see why not," Spencer accepted.

"Good. I was hoping you'd want to go," Toby said, smiling. "Caleb, I'm going to the hilltop with Spencer."

Caleb pulled his lips away from Hanna's and said, "Have fun, Cavanaugh." He rejoined his lips with Hanna's as they left.

Spencer and Toby made their way up to the hilltop. Toby hadn't been here since the last day before he left with Caleb for California. On his last day, he and Spencer sat up here for an hour and cried like hell about leaving each other. They were close now, but he wondered if they'd ever be as close as before... or maybe more. He was hoping for a little more, but Spencer had said nothing about the kiss, so he didn't bother to bring it up, either.

"Man, I missed this place. Being here just cures the nostalgia. I feel like I've got something back from the past that I love. I've got this hilltop, and I've got you," Toby sincerely said as he took his first steps back on the top of the hill.

"I remember coming up here with you almost every night, and we'd just talk and talk and talk for hours. What the hell did we even talk about?" Spencer chuckled.

"Everything," Toby responded, smiling to himself as he looked at the view of Rosewood from the other side of the hill. He continued, "This place has so many memories, and being up here again just makes me remember them all again. I love being up here and looking at all those pretty lights."

"You mean the stars?" Spencer asked, chuckling to herself.

"Yeah, the stars. They're so beautiful at night," Toby quietly said as he gazed up at the beautiful lights in the sky.

_The wind blows through your hair_

_As you're walking people stare_

She looked more beautiful than ever. The moonlight made her brown eyes sparkle more beautifully than ever before, and the wind blew her hair in such a way that it looked like she was in a movie. She could be a movie star. He kept thinking about the kiss at school. He _really_ liked her. He wanted to kiss her again right now, but he feared the worst thing ever: rejection.

_And there's a beating in my chest_

_And it's seeming to suggest_

_That before this day is through it might go my way_

He felt so nervous around her right now. Things always got tense when he was alone with her and got caught up in the moment. Right now seemed like a cinematic-ly perfect moment to give her a long and passionate kiss. That's what his way was: to win her over before the night was over. He wanted to make a real move, but the fear of rejection kept getting the best of him.

"I always feel safe with you," she quietly said as they sat down on the rock at the top of the hill.

He smoothly put his arm around her and smiled.

"I always feel _happy_ with you," he quietly said as the arm around her stroked her arm sweetly.

She didn't know what to do. It had been a while since she experienced a flirtationship with a boy, since she'd always been so focused on her long-term relationship with Wren. It felt like she'd forgotten how to deal with guys throughout all the drama -A and Alison's death had put her through. She probably would have lost her virginity to Wren soon if he hadn't betrayed her. She didn't regret waiting to have sex for one minute now, though. She was_ glad_ she chose to wait.

A part of her wondered if she would have fell apart if Toby didn't return. He definitely kept her stable and happy. When she saw Wren in her kitchen, she didn't think she'd ever feel happy around another guy, but Toby made it so easy to feel happy again! Being with him meant no shaming from her parents about stealing her sister's almost-husband / ex-fiancee. If she and Toby were together, there was nothing to be ashamed of or feel guilty about. She could be happy. Plus, she'd known him since she was younger, so she felt like she could actually trust him.

Then again, she always thought she could completely trust Wren, too.

But Toby was different. He had nothing to do with Alison, besides the fact that she used to dislike him. That didn't matter, though. He was in California with Caleb during the time that Alison was murdered. There was no way that he could have done anything to hurt Alison.

Toby didn't know if it was too soon to tell her how he felt, but he didn't care. He needed to tell her the truth soon, because hiding the fact that he was quickly falling for her was just creating more problems for him. He needed to get it off of his chest, and this moment felt perfect. It was quiet, they were alone, and he felt like it was time to tell her. He was worried for the reaction, but holding his newly forming crush was not helping him at all.

"Spencer, I have to tell you something." He began.

This was the start of it. Once he began saying it, he couldn't turn back. This was his last chance to make up something else to tell her. He didn't know if he was ready to tell her, but it sure felt like it. He wished he could know how _she_ felt before he told her.

"Then tell," she said, clinging on to his arm tightly. "You know that you can tell me anything, right?"

He nodded, "That's why I feel like I need to tell you this. Spencer, I-"

There was the sound of a bush moving, and Spencer instantly held on to Toby's arm tighter, but in fear. She knew -A was after her, but she didn't need -A starting to ruin his life, too. Part of her was wishing that he'd stay in California, but for his sake. It seemed that he'd be safer there than here in Rosewood. -A had a way of making everyone close to's life miserable. She was thinking that maybe she should stay away from him, for his own good.

"What was that?" she quietly asked him, her body trembling in fear.

He wanted to tell her, but that sweet moment had turned bittersweet in seconds, and it was probably going to turn totally bitter soon. The moment had been killed, and it didn't feel right to tell her now. Sometimes people can just feel when the time is wrong. He felt it was wrong because he didn't think the best time to confess his feelings to his crush would be at a time where she was trembling in fear.

"Spencer! Holy Lord, is that you?"

She knew that voice anywhere. What the hell was he doing? She thought he skipped town after being an asshole throughout a year of dating.

"Wren." She breathed his name out.

Toby looked baffled and confused. He didn't know who this 'Wren' guy was, but he had really killed the perfect moment with Spencer. He could have possibly been kissing her at this very moment, but this Wren guy had rumbled through some bushes and decided to be a moment-killer!

"Moment-killer..." Toby mumbled very quietly.

"What?" Spencer asked, unable to hear him clearly.

"Nothing!" He quickly said.

She blinked her eyes twice, "Wren. Is that you?"

Anger was rushing through her body. Anger, sadness, and betrayal... but a part of her had hope. He had put her through hell, and a few long and sleepless nights where she stayed up and wondered if every kiss and every moment between them was just a lie. He'd really pushed her to her maximum. But a part of her _wanted_ Wren to be here right now. She didn't just want answers about everything anymore.

She _needed_ them.

"Oh Lord am I happy to see you!" Wren exclaimed. He shoved Toby to the side a little and sat next to Spencer. He continued, "We need to talk. I have to explain everything. I know you want answers, sweetheart, and I'm right here to give them to you."

Wren took her hands and held them tight as he called her 'sweetheart'. She knew Toby was probably extremely confused with this.

"Toby, could you please give us a moment?" Spencer asked quietly, trying not to cry.

"Of course," he politely said, nodding.

He made his way back down the hill, hoping that Caleb, Jason, Aria, or Hanna would be willing to talk to him. It seemed that this Wren guy was close to her. He wondered if this was the ex-boyfriend that she was talking about on the night he returned from California with Caleb. He wanted her to be happy, but he didn't want her to get back together with him! To think he was just about to tell her how he felt...

"Don't call me sweetheart, Wren. What the hell is this?" Spencer asked angrily. "You let me believe that you were freaking -A! What's wrong with you? You're going to tell me everything, or you can just skip town like you did before."

"Listen to me, Spencer. Mona _forced_ me to skip town. I did it under her command," Wren said, looking into her eyes. She looked away. "Hey, look at me, sweetheart. I've been pretending to work with Mona for you. I'm what you could say... a double agent. I did it because I love you. I want to be with you. Do you trust me? Please, oh Lord... tell me you trust me, sweetheart!"

"I want to believe that..." she whispered. "But..."

"But what?" Wren demanded, anger growing in his voice. "I've given up so much for you! I've done so many crazy things for the A-Team to protect you, and you don't even believe me? I defied Mona and came here to talk to you, and you don't even give me the response I want?"

"You don't always get what you want in life, Wren!" Spencer yelled.

"Believe me!" Wren pleaded, cooling off a little bit. "I did this for you. I did this for _us_. If you wouldn't tell me what was going on, I needed another way to get answers. I couldn't breathe when I thought about you being unsafe. When I went to work at the hospital in Buck's County, Mona recruited me for the A-Team, and I knew I could keep you safe if I accepted, so I took Mona up on the offer, and I've been trying to get answers for us. I have to go back to Mona now, but if you will just tell me you believe me now, I'll be able to sleep at night again."

Spencer sighed, "Wren, I don't know. Give me some time."

"Fine," he sighed, and squeezed her shoulders. "I'll be back in three days from Mona, and I need an answer whether there's still going to be an 'us'. Remember, I did this all for you. I needed you to be safe, my love."

He was about to kiss her, but she stopped it.

"I told you to give me some time. Please." She sighed again, pushing him slightly away.

He nodded in understanding, "I respect that. I'll be finding out more answers from Mona... for _us_. Remember, it's because I love you. Please, make sure to have an answer for me in three days. I need it by then, alright? I need to know!"

"Why three days?" she questioned.

Wren bit his lip, "I... uh... that's when I return from the next task Mona is assigning me to."

She didn't say anything. Wren took the silence as his cue to leave. So, he pulled the hood of his black hoodie up and started jogging off to who-knows-where, probably to do something devious that Mona asked him to do. He left Spencer in such a difficult stage. She thought she had something amazing with Toby now, and Wren popped right back into her life? She didn't know if she was to believe Wren, anyways. She was so conflicted!

She started walking back down the hill to find Toby again. He was practically third-wheeling while Aria and Jason continued to kiss on the dock. She made her way over there and grabbed his arm. She pulled him behind a tree.

"What happened?" he asked. "Is everything alright?"

"I don't know. That was my uh... ex-boyfriend." Spencer said.

And that's what Toby feared. This 'Wren' _was_ her ex-boyfriend, just like he feared. His world was slowly turning bitter and collapsing. He prayed that she didn't get back together with the guy. If she didn't, he still had a shot to confess his love to her!

"He asked me to get back together with him, and he explained his mistakes." Spencer stared at the ground while gulping.

His throat was dry now. Wren wanted to get back together with her, and she probably took him up on the offer. His head turned to stare at the lake. He wished he had never went to California. Then, maybe he would have realized she liked him before, and maybe she never would have gotten together with Wren in the first place. Then maybe he never would have hurt her... and maybe Toby'd be her boyfriend right now. He maybe could have had Spencer Hastings as his girlfriend, if he didn't go with Caleb to California, that is.

"And what did you say?" Toby asked, knowing that he had no shot with her now.

"I said give me time." She said, causing his face to light up. She continued, "I don't know if I can even trust him anymore. I just need time before I want to start dating him. There's always... other guys. You know?"

By 'other guys' she was hinting at him. She really hoped he'd say he liked her, and then she could be with Toby, and kick Wren right out of the picture. That's what she _wanted_ to do, but Toby was far too scared to confess his crush on her now.

He nodded, "If I were you, I... I uh... wouldn't get back together with him. He seems like a real jerk if he put you through hell for no reason."

"He said he had a reason, and that's my problem. I just don't know if I _believe _that reason," she said, sighing.

Toby felt like he wanted to sabotage her chances of picking Wren, but it felt wrong. He could just tell her to not take Wren back, and maybe she'd listen to him. He wanted to take a chance, but he knew he'd feel like a dirty person in the end.

"Hey, let's not think about the past with this Wren dude tonight. Let's look at all those pretty lights in the sky and just enjoy tonight, ok?" Toby said, smiling. He put his arm around Spencer. She smiled back at him, and they looked at what Toby called 'those pretty lights'.


	6. Out of Time

**Chapter 6: Out of Time**

"So what happened between Spencer and you at the hill last night?" Caleb asked as they walked into their loft after school. "You guys were up there for quite a while, huh? Did you get any tongue action?"

Caleb was chuckling as Toby glared at him.

"Shut up, Rivers. No. We just talked. Her stupid British ex-boyfriend named _Wren _is back," Toby said, sighing. He grabbed a water bottle and sat down on the couch next to Caleb. "I'm so confused with what to do now, man."

"Wait, is she back together with the Wren dude?" Caleb asked.

"No, not yet. But she probably will soon," Toby frowned.

"Hey, you never clarified if you liked her or not." Caleb told him. "What's up with that, Cavanaugh? Just tell me if you're into her or not!"

Toby sighed. He shot his friend a weak smile and said, "I guess you could say that I am. But... I have no chance with Wren back."

"Tell her!" Caleb glared at his friend. "...Tell her before you're out of time. If I didn't man up and ask Hanna out, I never would have gotten together with her. Sometimes, you just have to grow some balls and ask her out!"

He rolled his eyes, "I don't know, man. What if she doesn't want to? I mean... she's so hot and is probably one of those girls that all the guys want to date. She probably has really high standards, too. I don't know if I'm capable of being her perfect guy!"

"Just tell her. The worst she can do is say no!" Caleb assured him.

* * *

Later that day, Spencer knocked on the door of the loft. Caleb was out with Hanna, so it was just Toby tonight.

"Spencer?" He asked confusedly. "Not that I don't want you here, but what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk...about Wren," she breathed, sitting down next to him.

"Oh. Alright. Then talk," he said. "What's up?"

"I was thinking about getting back together with him." She confessed, staring at the ground.

She was hoping that Toby was upset by this. She hoped that he would do something to stop her from telling Wren she wanted to get back together with him. He was heartbroken, but he didn't want to confess anything to her, now that she seemed to still have a thing for Wren.

"Oh," he choked. "Th-that's great! I'm so happy for you."

"Yeah, but... I don't know if I should," she sighed. "Should I?"

He stared at the ground. She obviously _wanted _to, right?

"Yes." He nodded. "Go for it. You obviously love this Wren guy."

His tone was slightly aggressive and angry, causing Spencer to jump a little.

"Love... I don't know if I love him," she frowned. "Is there anything you have to say about it?"

"No! Not at all," Toby said, trying to hide his anger as best as he could. "Thanks for asking, though. You go get back together with that lovely Wren, and I hope you two are _very _happy together! Goodbye now."

Spencer was _seriously _startled by his aggressive tone. Was he actually kicking her out right now? She sighed, got up, and walked out of his loft. She couldn't believe that he had _nothing _to say. She thought that he'd at least try and stop her from getting back together with Wren!

He ran a hand through his hair. He wished he had listened to Caleb and confessed earlier. But then he would have made a fool out of himself, right? She seemed to still like Wren. He wished that he had told her _before _Wren got back. Then, maybe he would have had a chance to prove to her that _he _could be the guy to steal her heart. If he had only told her... He should have confronted her about the kiss. _He should have done it all earlier_!

* * *

THE NEXT DAY

Jason, Caleb, and Emily went running up to Toby after school, looking at him furiously.

"Cavanaugh, what the hell did you do!?" Jason demanded.

"I told you to tell her how you felt!" Caleb yelled.

"Thanks to you, she's going to get back together with Wren after he broke her heart!" Emily added.

"She doesn't even like me!" Toby crossed his arms. "She likes Wren!"

Emily rolled her eyes, "Are you blind, Toby? She wants to be with you!"

Jason nodded and said, "_You _ruined it. She told me that she asked you if she should get back together with Wren, and you said yes! I can't believe you allowed her to get back together with that little British heartbreaker!"

"And I can't believe you didn't confess to her when she came over..." Caleb shook his head in disappointment. "That was the perfect time, man!"

"She doesn't like me back!" Toby screamed. "Lay off, would you!?"

Emily grabbed his arm.

"All she wanted you to do was show that you care," Emily said.

"Care about _what, _Emily?" Toby demanded.

"Care about her getting back together with Wren!" Emily told him like it was obvious. "She just wanted to know that you would stop her from getting back to Wren. If you stopped her, she would have _known _you liked her, and that's all she wanted!"

Toby ran a hand through his hair, "Emily, this isn't time for playing around."

"Emily isn't 'playing around'," Jason said, rolling his eyes. "You need to find Spencer, and you need to fix this! Look, I have to go find Aria, but you need to go find her right now and fix this, before she gets back with that Brit!"

"How do I fix this?" Toby asked.

"Tell her how you feel," Jason said. "That's all you have to do."

Jason, Emily, and Caleb walked off, leaving a worried Toby there. This was it. He had to find Spencer as quickly as he could. If he waited another second, she could be back together with Wren. For all he knew, she could be back together with him right now!

* * *

"So... Wren and you," Hanna bit her lip. "Caleb told me that you guys talked."

"We did," Spencer sighed, nodding her head.

"A-are y-you back together or what?" Aria asked.

"I told him I need some time, but I talked to Toby... and he didn't seem to care at all. So, I think I'm going to tell Wren that I want to," Spencer explained. "What's with you, Aria? I can feel that you're hiding something, so you better spill."

Aria sighed, "I cheated on Jason."

Hanna and Spencer's eyes widened.

"With WHO?" Hanna demanded.

"Ezra," Aria nervously confessed.

"With _Ezra_?" Hanna asked, her eyes still wide. "You were supposed to break it off with Ezra, Aria! Ezra's our English teacher!"

"Hanna, I know! But, Ezra called me after class, and I don't know how it happened. I just kissed him without thinking!" Aria explained, nervousness all over her face. "I really do love Jason, though! I don't want him to be mad!"

"Jason doesn't even know you were with Ezra in the first place. I think he'll be mad that you not only were dating a teacher, but you also cheated on him with the teacher." Hanna said.

"Thanks, Hanna. That helps me feel better _so _much." Aria sarcastically said.

"Well, maybe if you stayed faithful to Jason like I do with Caleb, you wouldn't be in this mess!" Hanna crossed her arms.

"How do you accidentally kiss Ezra, anyways?" Spencer questioned.

"For your information, Ezra kissed _me. _I don't know why, but I just kissed back!" Aria argued.

"You still kissed him," Spencer reminded. "Kissing is kissing! Do you still have feelings for Ezra?"

"I really like Jason, but I may still have a few unresolved feelings for Ezra..." Aria sighed.

"Look, as much as I'd love to continue discussing the latest news in Aria's love life, I promised Wren that I'd meet him by the football field to talk about our relationship," Spencer said. "I'll see you guys later."

"Spence... Maybe you should re-think getting back together with Wren," Hanna said.

"Why?" She questioned. "It's not like Toby wants to be with me. Wren's back, so I think it's a good decision."

"I can't tell you if Toby really likes you, but from what it seems, I think he does," Aria said.

"Aria, I want to believe that..." Spencer began.

"Then why can't you!?" Hanna angrily asked.

"Because if he liked me, he would have stopped me from getting back together with Wren when I asked him about his opinion on it!" Spencer said, crossing her arms in frustration.

"Maybe he was just nervous," Aria offered.

"I don't have time for this. Wren's probably at the football field by now. I'll see you guys later," Spencer said before walking away.

Just then, Jason walked up to Hanna and Aria. He put his arm around Aria.

"Hey, you," Jason greeted, grinning. He kissed Aria's cheek. "How are you?"

Hanna bit her lip, trying her best not to be awkward. She knew that Aria kissed Ezra, and being the blabbermouth she was, she didn't know if she could hold it in. Hanna wasn't the best at containing herself from spilling secrets. Maybe that's why -A found her as such an easy target...

"Hey, Jason!" Aria exclaimed, trying to sound as happy as she could.

* * *

Spencer and Wren were talking on the football field about their relationship. Toby panicked when he saw them together. He needed to get to her quicker! He rushed over as quickly as his legs could carry him. But by the time he reached them, Wren had pulled her in for a hug. What did this mean?

"Hi Toby." Spencer said. She bit her lip as she announced, "Wren and I are back together."

At that moment, his heart dropped. He couldn't believe this. She was back together with Wren Kingston! Jason, Caleb, and Emily were right. He had pushed her right back into the arms of Wren, and now he felt terrible about it! He couldn't believe this moment had come. He had lost the best girl in his life. He never thought he'd see his childhood best friend as anything more than a friend, but those damn hormones were getting the best of him!

It didn't matter, though. She was with Wren now, and there was nothing he could do to change that.

He screwed up.


	7. Happy Birthday, Toby!

**Chapter 7: Happy Birthday, Toby!**

"Wren," she quietly said his name as she approached the black hoodie. "Is that you?"

He knew he was busted. He was planning on fleeing before she could get a good view of his face, but she grabbed his shoulder and turned him around so he was facing her. One single teardrop rolled down her cheek. She wasn't surprised about seeing him in the black hoodie once again, she was just disappointed that he had the guts to lie to her once again.

"I knew it was you," she muttered, shaking her head. "I should have known that you would have been remorseless when lying to me. What the hell was that 'I'm protecting you' bullcrap? I should have known that A would have been heartless enough to lie to me again. I just knew it. Answer me... Why are you doing this!?"

"Spencer," he sighed, and pressed his lips together. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not!" She yelled, and shoved him against the kitchen counter. "Why am I not surprised to see you right here in the hoodie once again? I should have known that you were a liar. I should have known better than to trust you! You're not sorry, you never were. Tell me why you're doing this to me! How could you be heartless enough to pretend that you love me? You told me you quit the A-Team!"

"I do love you," he said.

"Stop messing with me," she shook her head. "You're the biggest asshole I have ever seen, Wren! I can't even say your name. It hurts. It really does... if you love me, you'll stay here with me. If you love me, you'll tell me why."

Wren gulped for a moment. He sighed. He was planning on staying, but he didn't want to. He shoved Spencer off of him and began to run out the front door. He sprinted as fast as his legs could take him. He couldn't tell Spencer anything, or he would be betraying his boss. His boss would kill him if he told her anything. He didn't want to tell her anything anyways.

"I knew he didn't love me," she whispered, shaking her head.

She wasn't even broken hearted about it. She knew that he was a liar. She doubted him from the moment that he told her he was protecting her. She was going to take a chance and be with him again, but he ruined it. He bulldozed right over their chance of being happy. She gave him a chance to walk away from the A-Team and be with her, and he chose stalking her over loving her. Now she knew for sure that he didn't really love her.

She was just surprised at how easy it was for him to lie to her. He didn't even blink...he just lied to her face.

* * *

Spencer was going out of her way to plan this party. She was going to make it the best.

"Hanna! Why the hell are the balloons only in the right corner!?" Spencer yelled in frustration. "I asked for balloons on BOTH sides of the room, and I only see them on the right side!"

"Hey, I'm trying my best. I know you think Toby is hot and all, but I can't believe you're going through all this work for a surprise party for him," Hanna said. "If you really think he's hot, you could have just thrown him an easy surprise beach party. That way, you get to see him show up shirtless!"

Spencer rolled her eyes and said, "Thanks for your brilliance, Hanna, but I think I'll stick to the old-fashioned surprise birthday party. Lots of friends, music, presents, and the part where we all say 'surprise' when he walks in... What's better than that?"

"Him showing up shirtless at the beach with little drops of water running down his abs," Hanna said, chuckling.

Spencer tried not to drool over the thought of that. As much as Spencer wanted to have an old-fashioned party, Hanna's idea was seeming really good right now. She couldn't stop thinking about him in the water without a shirt now. She found out what a muscular build he had during hot tub day when he wanted a towel. That was _sexy_.

"Hanna, we're sticking to what we've already begun," she said, crossing her arms.

"Spence, I don't think he'll even show up to your party," Aria told her.

"Why not?" She asked. "It'll be easy. Caleb will tell him that he wants to hang out, then he'll bring him here, and we'll all say 'surprise' and have a good time! It's simple, really."

"You really broke his heart. I don't think he's in the mood to hang with Caleb today, because he's too broken hearted because of you," Aria explained.

"Me!? What did I do?" Spencer asked, crossing her arms.

"Oh come on!" Aria said, rolling her eyes. "He totally likes you, and he wanted to tell you, but then you got all kissy-face with Wren and broke his poor little heart!"

Spencer cringed at Wren's name.

"Aria, he doesn't like me. And also, I broke up with him," she sighed.

"Wren and you broke up!? AGAIN?" Aria asked, shocked. "You two just got back together like a week ago! What the hell?"

"Something came up, and I needed to break up with him," she crossed her arms.

"Ooh, is it because you realized you love Toby back?" Hanna teased.

"_Hanna_," Spencer warned.

"Sorry, sorry," Hanna said, sighing.

Emily decided to participate in the conversation, finally.

"Spence, I know you're the smart one here, but maybe you need to re-think your plan," Emily said. "Why would Caleb want to hang out with Toby at _your_ house? That doesn't even make sense!"

Spencer sighed and said, "Fine. Hanna, tell Caleb to call off the plan. I'll go tell Toby to come over myself. Get back to work, people! I want the birthday banner on the back wall so he can see it when the lights go on. Jason, there you are! You're strong, so get the banner and put it up."

"That doesn't make sense..." Jason breathed as he took the banner and got ready to hang it up.

* * *

Spencer had sent Toby a text to come over. All the party guests were waiting inside of her house, ducking behind furniture, and with the lights off. The brunette waited outside of her house so she could welcome him in when she came. She wanted to make sure to tell Wren that he was un-welcome at the party, but he disconnected his phone number and skipped town. Since his car was gone from his driveway, she assumed that Wren would definitely not be making an appearance at this party.

She was angry that Wren didn't have the balls to explain to her, but she tried to put it off from her mind today. The day was a day dedicated to someone she loved... Toby. It was a day about him, and she wasn't going to let her unresolved conflict with Wren ruin it. She knew she had feelings for Toby, and she was planning on letting him know today. She felt like she really could trust him.

"Hey," he greeted. His tone was dull, and he didn't seem happy.

"Cheer up, birthday boy," she said, and rubbed his back gently. "I wanted to just hang out with you today since it's your birthday. So happy birthday, Toby."

"Thanks, Spence. That means a lot," he half-smiled. "What did you have in mind, anyways?"

"Just some stuff for us to do together," she said, smiling happily. "Come in, I have some cake for you to eat and stuff."

"What kind of cake?" He asked.

"Your favorite kind," she said, and poked her nose against his cheek flirtatiously. "Vanilla cream..."

He giggled a little for some reason.

"Vanilla cream IS my favorite. You always know what to do," he said, grinning.

He was surprised that she was being so flirtatious. He thought that she was still with Wren.

She opened the door for him.

"SURPRISE!"

She flicked the lights on for him. He was grinning like a little boy who had just gotten a buffet of candy for dinner. He was gifted with plenty of hugs from all his friends, and he was so surprised when he saw a table filled with gifts for him. Spencer gave him the longest hug.

"Happy birthday, Tobes!" Caleb and Jason exclaimed together, and punched their buddy in the arm.

"Caleb, Jason... You guys rock." Toby grinned.

"Don't thank us," Jason told him. "Thank Spencer. This whole thing was her idea."

"Really?" he asked with a bright face. "She's the best."

"What are you waiting here for?" Caleb asked.

"Go thank her!" Jason exclaimed.

* * *

The party was going quite well. Toby was having a really good time. He was eating his vanilla cream cake and had a mustache of vanilla cream on his face. Spencer smiled as she walked up to him. He was eating cake on the stairs.

"Having a good time?" She asked.

"You know it!" He exclaimed. "This is awesome."

"Well, I'm glad you are," she smiled. "I have a present for you. It's kind of big, so I had Jason leave and bring it outside halfway through the party."

"_That's_ where Jason went?" He asked, laughing. "I thought he went outside to make out with Aria!"

Spencer chuckled, "No, but come outside. You can bring your cake and your cake-stache, if you want."

He smiled and followed her out the door, with the plate of cake still in his hands.

When he walked out the door, his jaw dropped.

It was the motorcycle he had been wanting for such a long time! Caleb and him were talking about getting a new set of wheels, and this was the one he had picked out. He knew he would never get it, though. He just couldn't afford a nice bike like this one. But now, Spencer had gotten it for him?

"Holy shit..." He quietly said as he approached the bike.

His hand gently glided across the leather seat. He was about to pass out. He couldn't believe it!

"Caleb helped me pick this one out," she informed him.

"I love you! Thank you so much!" He exclaimed, and hugged her. His arms wrapped around her and laced through her silky brown hair. He couldn't explain how amazing she was. "Can I take this baby out for a test run or what?"

"Toby, it's yours now," she told him, grinning. "You can do whatever you want with it. Happy birthday. Actually, I have another surprise for you first. You can take your new bike out for a test run after I give you the second surprise."

"_Another_ surprise?" He asked, shocked. "My god, Spence, you're way too nice!"

"Don't get your hopes up, though. I don't know if you'll like this surprise," she said, biting her lip.

"Oh, don't be silly... I'll love anything you give me...well, because it's from you." He sweetly said, and smiled at her.

She smiled back. "Sit down and I'll give you your surprise."

He sat down on her porch. She sat herself down next to him.

"So, what's th-" he began.

She cut him off by crashing her lips against his. He nearly gasped, but instead he closed his eyes and held her while he kissed back. She cupped his cheeks. His hands moved upwards and tangled themselves in her beautiful brown hair. The vanilla cream from his mouth spread to her mouth as their lips collided. She slowly opened her eyes as she pulled back from the kiss.

He had so many questions to ask her. Like, why'd she kiss him? What about Wren? He was confused, but it didn't matter. That kiss made him forget about everything and all his doubts.

"W-whoa," he quietly said. "Best birthday _ever_."


End file.
